Developmental Language Disorder Test: Screen Your Child's Language Skills

What DLD is, and what it is not

The Developmental Language Disorder Test screens parent observations of difficulties with understanding and using language. DLD describes persistent language difficulties that affect everyday communication or learning and are not associated with a known differentiating biomedical condition. The concerns may involve following spoken instructions, finding words, constructing sentences, or explaining events. A screening score cannot establish the cause, persistence, or severity of these difficulties; those questions require a speech-language assessment (Bishop et al.; NIDCD).

DLD is distinct from a speech-sound disorder, which affects how clearly a child pronounces sounds, such as substituting sounds or producing a lisp. Language difficulties involve words, sentences, or meaning, and can occur alongside speech-sound difficulties. Autism involves social-communication differences and restricted or repetitive patterns. Under CATALISE terminology, an autistic child with language difficulties may be described as having language disorder associated with autism, rather than DLD. That distinction describes the clinical context and does not reduce the child's need for language support. Learning multiple languages does not cause DLD. Multilingual children use their languages in different settings and may have different strengths in each; a language assessment needs to consider their exposure and abilities across languages. Difficulty only in a less familiar language is not enough to identify a disorder (Bishop et al.; ASHA).

Why a hearing check comes first

Before pursuing a language evaluation, it is worth ruling out hearing loss, since even mild or fluctuating hearing loss, like the kind that comes with frequent ear infections, can look exactly like a language delay from the outside. A hearing test is quick, widely available through a pediatrician or audiologist, and is usually the very first step a speech-language pathologist will ask about. If hearing checks out normal and the language differences persist, that points more clearly toward DLD or another developmental language difference worth a closer look.

A hearing assessment can be arranged as part of the language evaluation process; you can request an SLP appointment while arranging it. A typical hearing result does not confirm DLD, and an atypical result does not make language support irrelevant. Share previous hearing results and any history of ear problems so the professionals involved can coordinate the next steps (ASHA).

Who diagnoses DLD, and related screenings

DLD is identified by a speech-language pathologist (SLP), typically through a combination of standardized language testing, a case history, and observation of how your child uses language in conversation and play. A pediatrician can refer you, and in many places you can also self-refer directly to a speech-language pathologist or an early intervention program without waiting for a referral.

If autism traits are also part of the picture, the Child & Teen Autism Test or, for toddlers, the Early Autism Signals Screening for Toddlers, 16 to 30 Months can help you sort out what to bring to that conversation. If your child is younger and you want a broader look at milestones across several domains, not just language, the Child Development Test: Milestones Screener (Ages 2 to 5) covers broader development. And if your child struggles to speak in certain settings, like school, rather than struggling with language itself, the Selective Mutism Test (Adults & Teens) looks at that distinct pattern. The toddler screening is original and is not the M-CHAT-R. The selective mutism self-assessment is intended for adults and teens; ask a child clinician about concerns in a younger child.

Bring examples of directions your child finds difficult, words or sentences they use, and situations where communication breaks down. Ask teachers or caregivers what they notice, and include examples of what your child communicates well. For a multilingual child, explain who speaks each language and where it is used. Ask whether the evaluation can include a qualified interpreter or a clinician with relevant language experience (ASHA).

The Psychology.com tests hub includes the related screenings above. Parenting Worksheets can help you record family routines and questions while preparing for an appointment. If worry about your child's development is affecting your own well-being, the Psychology.com therapist directory can help you find emotional support. For assessment of your child's language, look specifically for a speech-language pathologist with appropriate pediatric experience.

How to Read Your DLD Screening Score

Higher scores on this page mean you reported language difficulties more frequently. The result bands are educational groupings, not validated diagnostic thresholds, and the total is not an age-standardized score. A child's exact age, language exposure, hearing, and opportunities to use language matter when interpreting the observations. A reassuring score should not prevent an evaluation when everyday communication or learning is difficult.

The understanding, expression, and everyday impact groups contain different amounts of content. Their raw totals should not be compared as though they represent equally sized clinical scales. Review the actual observations that stood out and bring those examples to an SLP; this provides context that a total alone cannot capture.

Methodology & sources

This is an original, house-built screening, not a reproduction of any single published instrument. Its structure is informed by the CATALISE consensus, an international, multidisciplinary Delphi study of more than 50 experts in child language that established shared terminology and diagnostic criteria for developmental language disorder (Bishop et al., 2017). The 20 items here were written to reflect the domains that consensus and the wider research base treat as central to DLD: understanding spoken language and instructions, expressive grammar and sentence use, vocabulary and word finding, narrative or storytelling ability, and the everyday, functional impact of language differences on a child's life.

Items are grouped into three areas for the results breakdown, understanding, expression, and everyday impact, which is our own grouping for clarity, not a validated clinical subscale structure from any published test. Each item is rated on how often the behavior happens, from never to very often, and higher totals reflect more frequent, more noticeable language differences. Population research estimates DLD affects a meaningful share of children, historically underestimated because milder cases without other clear symptoms are easy to miss in a busy pediatric visit (Norbury et al., 2016).

This is a screening for education and reflection, not a diagnosis. Developmental language disorder is identified by a speech-language pathologist using standardized testing, case history, and direct observation, ideally after hearing loss has been ruled out. A brief parent questionnaire like this one cannot replace that process, but it can help you decide whether an evaluation is worth pursuing and organize your observations to bring to one.

CATALISE is a consensus about identifying and describing language difficulties, not a questionnaire with scoring rules that this page reproduces. The original items and result bands here have not been independently validated. Published prevalence estimates and findings about diagnosed DLD do not establish the accuracy of this screening or convert a score into a probability of diagnosis.

Reviewed by Michael Callans, MSW
Reviewed the CATALISE-informed domain groupings, the original item wording, and the referral pathway for accuracy and clarity. Last reviewed September 15, 2026.

References

1. Bishop DVM, Snowling MJ, Thompson PA, Greenhalgh T; CATALISE-2 consortium. Phase 2 of CATALISE: A multinational and multidisciplinary Delphi consensus study of problems with language development: Terminology. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2017;58(10):1068 to 1080.
2. Bishop DVM, Snowling MJ, Thompson PA, Greenhalgh T; CATALISE consortium. CATALISE: A multinational and multidisciplinary Delphi consensus study. Identifying language impairments in children. PLoS ONE. 2016;11(7):e0158753.
3. Norbury CF, Gooch D, Wray C, et al. The impact of nonverbal ability on prevalence and clinical presentation of language disorder: evidence from a population study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2016;57(11):1247 to 1257.
4. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Developmental Language Disorder. Practice Portal. Available at asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/spoken-language-disorders/.
5. Bishop et al. Phase 2 of CATALISE: full text. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/5638113/
6. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Spoken Language Disorders. asha.org/practice-portal/clinical-topics/spoken-language-disorders/
7. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Developmental Language Disorder. nidcd.nih.gov/health/developmental-language-disorder

Developmental Language Disorder Test FAQ