Developmental Language Disorder (DLD): Assessment and Treatment in Clinical Practice
About this course
During this course, we consider target setting and the selection of the most appropriate treatment approaches to support children and young people in achieving functional outcomes in their everyday lives. It will help you:
- Develop your understanding of the underlying theory and evidence around Developmental Language Disorders
- Implement evidence-based approaches into your daily practice
- Develop practical ideas to support assessment and treatment of children and young people with a Developmental Language Disorder
- Build your confidence in differentially diagnosing DLD and your clinical decision-making
- Understand the lived experiences of children, young people and their significant families when living with DLD
Course Times
The course duration is 9.30 am to 4.30 pm (UK Time) – For a list of course dates and times please go to the Booking page
Course pricing
| Book and pay online | Organisational payment | Student / Returner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Price Per Person (Early Bird rate - booked before 31st January 2026) | £132 | £154 | £77 |
| Course Price Per Person (booked from 31st January 2026) | £145.20 | £169.40 | £84.70 |
Course prices from 1st April 2026 are to be confirmed.
Please book your place here or alternatively, you can contact us if you are you would like to:
- Book four or more courses (we can offer you a discount)
- Make a block booking for a group
- Book a closed course
Course presenter
Carly Hartshorn
Specialist Speech and Language Therapist
Carly Hartshorn is a Speech and Language Therapist with over ten years experience of working in the NHS and in independent practice. She is the Clinical Lead of a Children’s Speech and Language Therapy team.
Carly holds an honorary lectureship with the University of Manchester on the Speech and Language Therapy degree programme. She delivers workshops around communication on the UCL Disabilities of Sight course and provides workshops around language and communication development to trainee teachers.
Carly Hartshorn’s areas of clinical specialism include developmental language disorders, bilingualism, and visual impairment. She has extensive experience in these areas and continues to support the development of new pathways and working practices to support children and young people to reach functional outcomes into adulthood.
Carly sits on the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) North West Hub Executive Committee. She has been a part of the author groups for the RCSLT Clinical Guidelines for Bilingualism and the RCSLT Assistant Practitioner Professional Framework. She is a part of the National Visual Impairment Framework advisory group and has contributed to publications around bilingualism in practice.
Carly Hartshorn is a keen advocate of innovative clinical placements particularly those that build capacity within service delivery while safely supporting students to develop autonomy and independence in clinical practice.
Course topics
During this course, we cover:
- A refresher on the nature of Developmental Language Disorders
- Assessment protocols including standardised and dynamic assessment and using these to inform differential diagnosis
- Care planning and the aims of treatment
- Models of intervention:
- SLT led vs non-SLT led
- Direct vs indirect
- Group vs individual
- Project work
- Training
- Implicit vs explicit treatment approaches
- Considerations when assessing and treating a child who is multilingual
- Lived experiences
Who this course is suitable for
Booking information
This course is presented Virtual Live – Online over Zoom
This course is available on various dates throughout the year. To view available course dates and book your place click here.
During the booking process, you can choose to reserve a place, while you confirm you can attend or organise payment through your employer. We can hold your place for up to four weeks. If we have not heard from you before this time, we may cancel your reservation so other people can attend the training.
Course Beetle is an approved supplier for NHS Trusts, Local Authorities and Schools.
Course testimonials
“I liked finding out what the evidence-base was for various approaches. Challenging the status quo of rationing of SLT which means no one gets what they need – hearing from others about what is happening in their area. The Allen research will have a long-lasting effect on what we do as a service going forward.”
“I loved this course so much about this course. I really loved the breakdown of recommendations across different areas for both assessment and intervention resources. It is rare that you receive therapy/intervention recommendations within SLT training, so this was definitely something I took away as a huge positive.”
DLD