International campaign raises awareness of language disorder

Robert Mockler, who was diagnosed with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) at the age of six, will feature, alongside his family, in the international DLD Day campaign taking place this Friday, October 20.

A hidden but common disability that affects 1-in-14 people, DLD causes difficulties understanding and using language for no known reason.

Robert, now 15-years-old, and his family wants everyone in the community to learn about DLD so they can help the two students of every class of 30 who have DLD, a neuro-developmental condition.

When the family from Citywest discovered that they had been chosen as part of the international campaign they felt very proud to be spreading awareness not only in their community but worldwide.

Robert’s mother Brenda said: “I’m so proud of Robert and all he has done to raise awareness of DLD. We have been part of the RADLD Ireland group since 2020 and Robert has always put himself out there in the media so kids his age might relate and realise they are not alone.

“When we saw that our photo from a previous campaign had been chosen in some of the promotional material for the international campaign for 2023 we were very proud.

“It’s important for us as a family to raise awareness of DLD to help bring about change in the system too.

The 2023 theme is DLD Around the World, highlighting that DLD affects people around the world regardless of age, gender, language spoken or ethnicity.

DLD is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting how the brain processes language, so it makes sense that it’s found in every country and every language.

Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder (RADLD), the body who coordinates the international event is advocating for increased recognition and support for people with DLD around the world.

“People with DLD are six times more likely to suffer from anxiety and three times more likely to have clinical depression. They are also at significant risk of struggling with reading, spelling and mathematics. Although DLD is a common condition affecting many areas of life, people with DLD are unlikely to receive access to services,” said Stephen Parsons, Chairperson of RADLD.

#DLDday, now in its seventh year, is celebrated annually around the world with more than 40 countries involved.

This year Ireland has received amazing support with almost 30 landmarks around the country shining a light on DLD by lighting up in Purple or Purple and yellow this DLD Day on Friday, October, 20 as well as many local events in schools and community centres.

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