Teachers’ Knowledge and Experiences of Developmental Language Disorder among Students in Compulsory School for Pupils with Intellectual Disabilities

The purpose of the study is to highlight teachers’ experiences of working with students with language disorder in compulsory school for children with intellectual disabilities, and the investigation was carried out through qualitative interviews with certified teachers and special education teachers in this type of school. Previous research is multifaced and highlights that knowledge of language disorders is lacking among both the general public and the teaching profession. Research emphasizes the importance of interprofessional collaboration to strengthen the learning and development opportunities of students with language disorder. The results of the study were analyzed using the communicative relational perspective, KoRP, which is a further development of the sociocultural perspective. The results showed that despite any formal knowledge or competence regarding language disorders, teachers used strategies and methods in their teaching that aimed to strengthen communication. The results also showed a complexity regarding language disorder in connection with other diagnoses. There is a risk that the diagnoses of language disorder is not noticed, and adequate interventions are not carried out. Further research regarding teachers’ experience and competence in identifying and teaching students with language disorders and intellectual disability as well as the conditions for collaboration between professionals is needed.