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Developmental Language Disorder

What Parents Most Often Come to Us With

“My child speaks, but it is difficult to understand them.”

“They do not understand instructions, even though they are trying.”

“Their vocabulary is limited.”

“They know what they want to say, but they cannot get the words out.”

Parents often come to us with a diagnosis of developmental language disorder – or with concerns that their child’s speech and language development is not progressing as expected.

Many have already attended speech and language therapy, sometimes for a long time, but progress is limited, unstable or keeps slipping backwards.

This creates frustration.

And above all, one question: why is it not working when we are trying so hard?

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How Developmental Language Disorder May Be Related to Persistent Primary Reflexes

Developmental language disorder is not just a “problem with speaking”. It concerns how the nervous system processes language – understanding, sorting information, organising it and then expressing it.

Speech and language are also skills that sit relatively “high” in the developmental hierarchy. To function well, they need support from more fundamental functions:

  • sensory processing, so that the brain can receive and organise input effectively

  • stable regulation, including pace, attention and tolerance of load

  • integration of movement and perception, including body awareness, coordination and planning

  • the ability to hold and combine information, including working memory and sequential processing

Typical Examples We See in Connection With Developmental Language Disorder

In some children, persistent primary reflexes may also affect language processing – because they influence stability, regulation and sensory processing, all of which provide important foundations for speech and language.

  • The Moro reflex may keep the nervous system in a state of “alert” – the child may become overloaded easily, find it harder to maintain attention during speech and language tasks, and tire more quickly.

  • ATNR (Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex) may interfere with coordination between the eyes, hands and both sides of the body – which may also appear as difficulties with sequential processing, organisation and imitation.

  • TLR (Tonic Labyrinthine Reflex) may affect posture and muscle tone – when the body does not have a stable “setting”, working with language and comprehension may also become more demanding.

  • STNR may make sitting and desk work more difficult – the child may not have enough endurance for language-based tasks because a large amount of energy is being used simply to maintain posture.

It is important to remember that this is not the “single cause”. It is one developmental layer that may significantly interfere with speech and language – and when we support it, the child’s ability to benefit from speech and language therapy may also improve.

How We Address This Area in NDS

For children with developmental language disorder, we do not focus only on speech itself. First, we look at how the nervous system functions as a whole and where developmental “bottlenecks” may be slowing down language development.

As part of our work, we focus on:

  • sensory processing, especially the vestibular and proprioceptive systems – balance and body awareness

  • regulation of attention and pace – calming, endurance and switching between activity and rest

  • integration of movement, perception and speech, so that language can rest on a stable foundation

  • readiness of the nervous system for language-based work and its gradual strengthening

  • simple home activities lasting a few minutes a day, which we adjust according to how the child responds

💡 Important to Know

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Developmental Language Disorder cannot be booked as a separate service with us. You are not booking “speech training” or “speech and language therapy”.

This area is addressed as part of Neuro-Developmental Stimulation (NDS), and the specific approach is determined only after the initial assessment. Only then can we decide what truly makes sense to address at that stage – and what may first need more time to mature.

Without this step, it is easy to keep repeating approaches that have already failed to bring stable change.

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Book an Initial NDS Assessment

Your initial assessment is with Marja. We will recommend a therapist for follow-up appointments based on the assessment results and your child’s needs.

We will look at key developmental functions, including persistent primary reflexes and sensory processing.

We will then create a plan together: what to support first and how to work on it at home for just a few minutes a day.

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  • Speech development is closely linked to motor development and the maturity of the nervous system.

    1. Iverson, J. M. (2010). Developing language in a developing body: The relationship between motor development and language development. Journal of Child Language, 37(2), 229–261.

    2. Bishop, D. V. M. et al. (2017). Phase 2 of CATALISE: A multinational Delphi consensus study of problems with language development. J. of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58(10), 1068–1080.

    3. Volemanová, M. (2020). Primární reflexy a jejich vliv na motoriku a řeč. Listy klinické logopedie, 1/2020.

    4. Volemanová, M. (2016). Vývoj řeči a přetrvávající primární reflexy. Sborník I. klinicko-logopedického sympozia, Praha, 45–49.

    5. Volemanová, M. & Květoňová, L. (2017). Links between SLI, Motor Development and Literacy Acquisition in Children. Gramotnost, pregramotnost a vzdělávání, 1(3).

    The complete list of scientific references can be found on the Scientific Evidence page.

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