developmental language disorder (DLD), a condition that severely impairs a child’s ability to learn, use and understand spoken language.

Such challenges are increasingly common for parents and teachers. In England, for example, around 21% of schoolchildren are growing up with a first language other than English. While most children’s language development – whether monolingual or multilingual – is typical, the average classroom includes two DLD-affected children. DLD’s prevalence, roughly 8%, is similar worldwide, from China to Mexico.

Even so, DLD remains under-recognised and under-served – especially compared to other developmental conditions, such as dyslexia, autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

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n recent years, the way we talk about learning differences in Irish schools has moved toward a “neurodiversity-affirming” perspective. This means we no longer view conditions like Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, or Dyspraxia solely as “disorders” to be fixed. Instead, we recognize them as natural variations in the human brain—different ways of thinking, feeling, and processing the world.

For parents, navigating the support systems in a primary school can sometimes feel overwhelming. Understanding the roles of the Special Education Teacher (SET) and the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) is the first step in ensuring your child has the environment they need to flourish.

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Growing up with dyslexia I struggled at school. I felt behind. Left out. Lonely. It’s a big part of what I write about in Young Man in a Hurry — out February 24.

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Recent neuroimaging studies suggest that developmental dyslexia comprises several subtypes with distinct symptom profiles, each associated with characteristic functional and structural abnormalities in the brain. However, how these regional brain-activity abnormalities lead to specific symptoms remains unclear. Moreover, while research using animal models such as mice or rats is effective in studying many brain disorders, it is not suitable for dyslexia because reading and writing are uniquely human skills.

To address this gap, the authors developed a human model of dyslexia, in which key dyslexia-related features are temporarily and safely induced in neurotypical human volunteers. 

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Gajilan was working with custom versions of the artificial intelligence bot ChatGPT in her role as global editor for AI development and integration at Reuters. She built such a GPT, as the customized bots are known, to help Tobey with reading fluency, spelling and with organizing his writing. 

Gajilan fed the program Tobey’s report cards, neuropsych evaluation, hobbies and information about his competitive nature, a step that ensured that his lessons were gamified. After each session, she asked the bot, “Why this choice?” or “What is he learning?”

Within weeks, Tobey was gaining confidence. The GPT had been programmed to encourage progress even when he struggled — something that tests and other traditional measures of achievement often fail to do. One day, Tobey asked: Could she build something for his friends?  

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Canadian stand-up comedian Phil Hanley has lived with severe dyslexia for so long he can’t see life any other way. But what once held him back as a child has now become his greatest superpower, as he’s been able to find the humour in his diagnosis to great success. That’s something he writes about in his new memoir, Spellbound: My Life as a Dyslexic Wordsmith. Phil sits down with guest host Talia Schlanger to talk about his fascinating life (including a brief modelling career in the ’90s) and how comedy gave him the confidence to overcome his shame.

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