DLD in School-age Children with Mary Ann Schouten

Episode 4: Developmental Language Disorder in the School‑Age YearsIn Episode 4 of The Social Learning Road Trip, hosts Kristen Smith and Tara Ross continue their exploration of Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) with a focus on school‑age children. They are joined by the highly respected Mary Ann Schouten, recently retired Manager of Communication, Language and Speech Services with the Upper Grand District School Board and recipient of the Speech‑Language Pathologist of the Year award from Speech‑Language & Audiology Canada. Drawing on more than 30 years of experience, Mary Ann helps listeners understand how DLD can present differently across the elementary years as language demands increase.The conversation walks through what educators and families might notice at different stages—from early struggles with grammar, directions, and storytelling, to later challenges with reading comprehension, written expression, math language, inferencing, and classroom participation. Mary Ann emphasizes that DLD is heterogeneous, meaning no two students look the same, and highlights literacy as a key “pink flag” that can signal underlying oral language difficulties. The episode also outlines practical, school‑based responses: careful observation across contexts, collaboration with families, implementation of evidence‑based Tier 1 strategies, and thoughtful data gathering before referral.Listeners will also gain insight into how speech‑language pathologists assess for DLD in schools using multiple sources of information—including teacher observations, family input, standardized tools, language samples, and response to intervention—and why individualized supports are essential. Throughout the episode, Mary Ann shares concrete, classroom‑ready strategies such as interactive read‑alouds, intentional vocabulary instruction, visual supports, declarative language, and “Strive for Five” conversations, reinforcing that strong language supports benefit all learners, from kindergarten through high school.