Girl with language disorder to give public speech

Standing up to deliver a public speech would seem a daunting task for many 12-year-olds.

But Ridley, from Derby, will take on the challenge to raise awareness of developmental language disorder (DLD), a condition she was diagnosed with at the age of five, that causes long-term challenges with talking and understanding words.

Despite having "difficulty finding words", Ridley has decided to give a speech and light up Derby Conference Centre purple on Friday to mark DLD awareness day.

"I'm going to be talking a lot about DLD, because I'm a chatterbox about special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). I'm really scared, so if I do some fumbles, please don't laugh," said Ridley.

According to Speech and Language UK, studies have shown that DLD affects about two children in every classroom in primary school.

Children with DLD, previously known as specific language impairment (SLI), may also have "lots of ideas" but find it hard to put their ideas into words and understand what other people say to them.

Language difficulties may also underlie behaviour issues such as anxiety or misbehaving in class.

Ridley's mum Chrissa, whose four children are all neurodivergent, said she noticed her daughter's struggle with speech from a young age.

"We knew there was something a little different about her, but we couldn't quite put our finger on it," said Chrissa.

Chrissa, founder of SEND charity Sunshine Support, said she also compared her speech with Ridley's twin, who was "far more advanced" with talking.

"Some people kept saying, 'Do you think she might be autistic?' because actually she struggles in social situations, she struggles to find words, she struggles with transition, she's got huge amounts of anxiety.

"We said, no, there's something that doesn't scream autism to us."

Now studying at a mainstream school, Ridley said it had taken a lot of work to pluck up the courage to give the speech as part of the DLD awareness event organised by Sunshine Support.

"I was diagnosed when I was five but there was symptoms when I was four, so it was kind of like difficulty finding words," said Ridley.

"It took a lot of speech and language therapy and learning a lot in English."

After years of seeing her daughter struggle to speak, Chrissa said she "didn't expect" her to one day stand and talk in front of an audience.

"When I look back to that four or five-year-old child who was struggling to find her words, you'd see her trying to interact with anybody, she couldn't actually form any words.

"Then to think at age 12, she's now going to stand on the steps of Derby Conference Centre and open up our evening. I mean, I didn't expect it."

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