Introduction: One in 14 Australian students have Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), however there has been limited research on their perspectives about educational needs and supports. To uphold obligations under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), speech pathologists and teachers need to consult students with DLD regarding adjustments to their learning. Yet students with DLD are often excluded, as these conversations require high level language skills to participate. Including the perspectives of students with DLD is essential for authentic consultation. Aim(s): This study aimed to gather the perspectives of adolescents with DLD on the difficulty of school-based tasks, the helpfulness of educational supports, connectedness to school, and behavioural/emotional needs. Method: 11 adolescents with DLD (aged 11 to 18 years) were interviewed using visual supports to answer closed and open-ended questions. Participants rated the difficulty of 39 school-based tasks, the helpfulness of 27 educational supports, and 17 items about school connectedness on a 5-point Likert scale. They also completed the adolescent version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Results: Literacy and numeracy were rated as the school-based tasks the adolescents wanted the most adjustments and accommodations at school. The supports identified as most helpful by students with DLD, included: additional time, technology, visual supports, and individualised support. Participants reported pride in belonging to their school and had at least one teacher they felt comfortable talking to if they were facing problems. Overall, participants rated social/emotional needs as requiring the least amount of support at school compared with academic tasks (e.g., literacy, numeracy). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that consulting students with DLD is possible via structured interviews using visual supports. These initial findings help us better understand the perspectives of a small cohort of students with DLD, as well as their preferred educational adjustments and accommodations when providing support at school.

Participants will be able to: 1) Understand the importance of consulting students with DLD when planning adjustments and accommodations; 2) Identify the educational needs and supports for students with DLD at school; 3) Understand how connected student's with DLD feel to school, as well as their social/emotional needs.