What is it about?
This study explored how different cognitive abilities support language in adults with and without Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). Sixty adults—30 with DLD and 30 without—completed a series of online tasks. These tasks assessed grammar and vocabulary, as well as problem-solving, understanding sentence structure, learning new words, recognizing patterns, and how quickly tasks become automatic with practice.
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Photo by Paolo Chiabrando on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Most research on Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) focuses on children, so there are very few studies that explore how DLD affects adults. This study shows that language difficulties often continue into adulthood and suggests that explicit strategies to support grammar and vocabulary may be helpful for adults with DLD. Additionally, the findings highlight that adults with DLD may need more time to process both language and cognitive tasks—something important to consider in education, work, and everyday life.
Perspectives
As research on adults with DLD remains limited, the opportunity to explore the relationship between language and cognition in adults with DLD was a privilege. We are especially grateful to the participants who took part in this study—thank you for making this research possible.
Ashley Blake
University of Birmingham
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Toward an Understanding of Developmental Language Disorder in Adults: Investigating the Relationship Between Cognitive Abilities and Linguistic Outcomes, Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research, July 2025, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA),
DOI: 10.1044/2025_jslhr-24-00557.
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