THE GUILDHALL will be lit up purple in October in honour of a day raising awareness of people living with a Developmental Language Disorder.

The Andover building will be illuminated in honour of the day, which will be held on Friday, October 18, thanks to a speech and language therapist for Hampshire County Council.

Marnie Dollin contacted Test Valley Borough Council to raise awareness about the annual event, held by the organisation 'Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder Day (RADLDD).

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(Image: Marnie Dollin/TVBC)

The event, now in its eighth year, is celebrated around the world with more than 40 countries taking part.

In 2023, more than 100 global landmarks were lit in purple and yellow, including the Andover Guildhall, which participated in the event in both 2022 and 2023.

The theme of this year's event is 'speak up for DLD', aimed to 'highlight the need to spread the word about the disorder in schools and in the community to help identify and advocate for children' according to Marnie.

She explained that the disorder is a hidden but common lifelong disability affecting one in 14 people, and is diagnosed when children fail to acquire their own language for 'no obvious reason'.

DLD can result in difficulty in understanding what people say to those with the disorder, as well as struggling to articulate their own ideas and feelings.

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"Despite the high prevalence of DLD, and the growing awareness of neurodiversity, the condition remains relatively unknown," said Marnie.

She continued: "Recent research has shown that, on average, 2 children in every class of 30 will present with DLD severe enough to hinder academic progress

"At Hampshire County Council, speech and language therapists, in addition to specialist teachers, work at schools across the county to support students with a range of speech, language and communication needs."

She concluded: "If you have concerns about the speech, language and communication of a child you know in Hampshire, ask your Special Educational Needs co-ordinator (SENCo) to consider a referral to the council;'s team of speech and language therapists."