The purple lights will be shining at Griffith University’s Gold Coast campus tonight (14 October) to raise awareness for Developmental Language Disorder Awareness Day (DLD).
Speech Pathology Lecturer Shaun Ziegenfusz said Griffith will be lighting up the G40 building joining 70 other light up locations around the world including Niagara Falls.
“DLD Awareness Day has been recognised since 2017 to raise awareness about a condition effecting seven per cent of the population who struggle to learn to speak and understand their first language,” Mr Ziegenfusz said.
“There’s a difference in the brain we don’t fully comprehend, however, we do know it’s a learning difficulty that people will live with across their lifespan, which fits in with this year’s theme of ‘growing with DLD’.
“A person’s ability to communicate effectively is a crucial part of everyday life and it’s important to help those effected, while also continuing the research in this field.”
The signs to look out for include:
- Words are spoken in the wrong order
- Not understanding instructions
- May not understand the meaning of a word
- A person may use the wrong tense when speaking
- May not know how to use the correct pro-nouns
Mr Ziegenfusz said there are 40 different terms to describe the condition so gaining awareness and an understanding of DLD was vital.
“Since 2017, 40 countries now recognise DLD, but we have more work to do to continue to see representation across the globe,” he said.
“So I encourage everyone to show their support and wear purple for DLD Awareness Day.”