The Dutch Longitudinal DLD Study
The Dutch Longitudinal DLD Study follows 600 children with a (presumed diagnosis of) developmental language disorder (DLD) for 20 years. This page provides information on the goal and participants and the time points, variables and instruments. You can also check our first results and find an overview of our papers, conference contributions and other publications.
About our study
In the DLDLD study we collect data at various moments during a child’s childhood and adolescence. We are interested in children’s development with regard to language, academic skills, social-emotional functioning, quality of life, and executive functions. In our data collection we involve the children themselves, their parent(s), and their teacher(s).
By the end of this study we will have obtained a lot of valuable information on a wide variety of aspects of children’s development. Examples of what we have already analysed are:
- The transition to regular or special education from the early intervention group.
- The relation between language skills and wellbeing.
Timeline
The timeline below contains information about the moments at which we collect data and the specific instruments we use to do so.
Child
Treatment group
Parent
Teacher
Parent
Parent
Child
Teacher
Parent
Child
Teacher
To be determined
To be determined
The DLDLD-study sheds light on how DLD affects participation in communication, academics and society across the lifespan.
How do we keep our participants engaged?
As with most longitudinal studies, attrition is an important issue. As can be seen in the timeline, our measurements lie several years apart. This means we have to actively keep our participants and their parents engaged in the project. There are several things we do to prevent attrition:
- Send out newsletters via e-mail
- A Facebook group for (parents of) our participants
- Send yearly presents to all participants
- Homevisits in Grade 3 and secondary education
- A yearly or two-yearly ‘DLDLD study day’ at a museum or other fun location
- A child and parent panel that meets twice a year
Who are we?
Our team consists of researchers from different institutions in the Netherlands. Currently, the following people are part of team Taal in Zicht:
Iris Duinmeijer, project leader – NSDSK
Annette Scheper, senior researcher – Kentalis
Britt Hakvoort, senior researcher – Auris
Mélanie van Barreveld, PhD-student – Kentalis
Wendy Bliekendaal, researcher – Auris
Charlotte Cohen, researcher – Auris
Lonneke Janssen, researcher – Kentalis
Luisa de Heer, researcher– NSDSK
Nikki Smit, researcher – NSDSK
Margo Zwitserlood, clinical linguist and researcher – Pento
Marijke Zoons, speech-language pathologist – Adelante
Want to know more?
Get in touch
Do you want to get in touch with us about our study, collaboration or a publication?
Contact