Assessment and Diagnosis of Developmental Language Disorder
A live, 2-hour DLD assessment webinar for speech pathologists, with a clear step-by-step process for gathering the evidence, making the diagnosis and writing the report, taught by a speech pathologist with over 17 years of experience.
- DateFriday 27 November 2026
- Time10:30am to 12:30pm AWST
- Investment$150 including GST
What is the DLD assessment and diagnosis webinar?
The Assessment and Diagnosis of Developmental Language Disorder webinar is a live, 2-hour online training for speech pathologists, held on Friday 27 November 2026 from 10:30am to 12:30pm AWST. It teaches a six-phase process for assessing and diagnosing DLD, and it costs $150 including GST, with a certificate, learning materials, resources and a recording available for 2 months.
What is Developmental Language Disorder (DLD)?
Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is a lifelong language disorder that affects how a child understands and uses language and is not explained by another condition such as hearing loss, intellectual disability or autism. Children with DLD often struggle to follow instructions, find words and tell stories, even when their standardised scores sit close to average.
Why diagnosing DLD takes more than a test score
You have a child in front of you whose standardised score sits just inside the average range, while their teacher tells you the child is falling behind and cannot say why, and their mum tells you they have seen several professionals who all say the child is fine. Or the score comes back low and you wonder whether it is a real score or points to a different diagnosis. Either way, a number alone does not give you the peace of mind to make a diagnosis.
I once watched a Year 5 girl in an art class who had scored right on the borderline across her language testing. The teacher gave every instruction out loud, and she sat there quietly while a friend told her where to collect her paper and another friend told her what to do next. She had built an entire network of classmates who decoded the day for her, and her teacher had no idea she did not understand the instructions. That is the child a standardised test can miss, and she is the reason I built the process I teach in this webinar.
Over two hours I walk you through the six phases I use for every DLD assessment, from establishing what DLD is and building rapport through play, to gathering the village view from teachers and parents, to standardised testing and the synthesis that brings it all together. You leave knowing what evidence to collect, why it matters and how to put it into a report that stands up.
Everything in this process sits inside neurodiversity affirming practice. Safety and rapport come before any test, a child's responses are read with curiosity rather than judgement, and a diagnosis is written to describe what a child needs and to open doors, never to define who they are. Thorough assessment and affirming practice belong together, and you see how to hold both in every phase.
This webinar is for you if you are
- a paediatric speech pathologist who wants a clear, repeatable process for diagnosing DLD
- newer to diagnosis and wanting to feel confident that you have covered everything
- a clinician who already diagnoses and wants to tighten your reports and your reasoning
- working in private practice, schools or community settings and fielding questions from families, teachers and paediatricians about language disorder
What you will learn in this DLD assessment webinar
By the end of this webinar, you will be able to carry out a thorough, affirming DLD assessment and put your evidence into a diagnostic report with confidence.
- Explain why DLD diagnosis rests on functional language, not a standardised score alone.
- Assess in a neurodiversity affirming way from start to finish.
- Gather evidence through play, classroom observation and teacher and parent input.
- Analyse a language sample and plan your standardised assessment.
- Weigh your evidence, including autism, ADHD, cognition and hearing, to reach a diagnosis.
- Write a report that addresses the DSM-5 criteria.
The six phases you walk away with
Define
What DLD is, how it presents across a lifetime, and why functional language matters more than a score.
Observe
Play-based and classroom observation, before any testing begins.
The village view
Teacher and parent input, compared across settings.
Language sample
Vocabulary, grammar, narrative and pronoun use, gathered through play.
Standardised assessment
Your chosen test, plus everything you record beyond the score.
Synthesis
Weighing all the evidence against the DSM-5 criteria and writing the report.
What is included in your registration
Live two-hour webinar
Friday 27 November, 10:30am to 12:30pm AWST, with 15 minutes of Q&A at the end so you leave with your own questions answered.
Recording for 2 months
Rewatch a phase when you reach it in a real assessment.
Learning materials
Follow the six phases step by step.
Resources
Use them straight away in your own assessments.
A certificate
For your professional development records.
Your presenter: Di Van Der Walt, speech pathologist
I am Di Van Der Walt, a speech pathologist with over 17 years of experience across not-for-profits, the disability sector and private practice. I founded Perth Hills Allied Health in 2017, a neurodiversity affirming paediatric clinic in Kelmscott, and I was a finalist for Speech Pathologist of the Year in the 2026 Allied Health Awards.
I also mentor speech pathologists through Adult Learning Zones, The Therapists Haven and Supervision with Di, and this webinar grew out of a supervision session where two clinicians asked me exactly how I reach a DLD diagnosis. I walked them through every step, they told me how helpful it was, and I decided that more of you deserve the same walk-through.
My reports are honest about how hard language is for a child and affirming of who they are, and you will see how I do both.
DLD assessment webinar FAQs
How do speech pathologists diagnose DLD?
Speech pathologists diagnose DLD by combining evidence from several sources rather than relying on one test score. The process taught in this webinar has six phases: establishing the definition and a functional view of language, naturalistic observation, input from teachers and parents, language sample and narrative analysis, standardised assessment, and a synthesis that weighs all of the evidence against the DSM-5 criteria.
Who is this webinar for?
It is designed for speech pathologists who assess children for language disorder, whether you are newer to diagnosis or already diagnosing and wanting a clearer process. The first segment covers the foundations of DLD, so you do not need to arrive with a deep background.
When is the DLD assessment webinar, and what time does it run?
Friday 27 November 2026, 10:30am to 12:30pm AWST (WA time). The two hours include a 15-minute Q&A at the end.
What if I cannot attend live?
Your registration includes the recording, which is available for 2 months after the session, so you can watch at a time that suits you.
How much does it cost?
The investment is $150 per person, including GST.
Is there a refund policy?
Refunds are not available, because the recording gives you access to the full session if you cannot attend live.
Will I receive a certificate?
Yes. Every registered participant receives a certificate that records the two hours of learning for your professional development records.
What learning materials and resources will I receive?
You receive learning materials that follow the six phases of the process, along with resources to use in your own assessments.
Can I ask questions during the webinar?
Yes. The final 15 minutes are set aside for your questions, and Di answers as many as the time holds.
Can a speech pathologist diagnose DLD without a psychologist?
Yes. A speech pathologist can diagnose DLD. The webinar shows you how to consider cognition and the other contributing factors, and how to word an interim diagnosis while any remaining results are pending.
Does the process work with the language assessment I already use?
Yes. The process works with whichever standardised language assessment you choose, and the webinar shows you what to observe and record alongside the scores.
Will it cover funding?
The webinar covers what a diagnostic report needs to show and how to talk openly with families about funding, drawing on what Di has seen in practice with schools and the NDIS.
Does it cover therapy approaches for DLD?
No. This webinar covers assessment and diagnosis only, including how to bring the evidence together and write it up.
Is the assessment process neurodiversity affirming?
Yes. Neurodiversity affirming practice runs through every phase, from building safety and rapport before any testing, to observing a child in the settings where they learn and play, to writing a report that is honest about how hard language is for a child and respectful of who they are.
How do I join?
After you register, you receive your joining details by email.
Register for the DLD assessment webinar on Friday 27 November
The next time a child sits in front of you with a score that does not match what their teacher and family are seeing, I want you to know exactly what to do next and have the evidence to back your decision. Bring your questions along, because the last 15 minutes are yours.
Friday 27 November 2026 | 10:30am to 12:30pm AWST | $150 including GST
Register for the webinar