NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS AWARENESS AMONG PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS IN TÜRKİYE: DEVELOPMENTAL LANGUAGE DISORDER REMAINS UNDER-RECOGNISED

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and specific learning disorder (SLD), are increasingly recognised, yet awareness of developmental language disorder (DLD) and of its former term, specific language impairment (SLI), remains limited. This study examined awareness, knowledge sources, and perceptions of six NDDs among pre-service teachers at two universities in Türkiye. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in spring 2025 with 466 participants from Mersin and Anadolu Universities. Descriptive statistics and paired-sample proportion tests were used to compare DLD awareness with that of other conditions. Results showed that ADHD (82.2%) and ASD (69.5%) were the most recognised, while DLD (23.8%) and SLI (4.3%) were the least recognised. Although some participants reported awareness, most definitions were inaccurate, revealing misconceptions. The media were the primary source of awareness, whereas personal connections had minimal influence. DLD (1.3%) and SLI (1.1%) were rarely selected as the most prevalent NDDs. Findings highlight the need to integrate structured content on NDDs, particularly DLD, into teacher education curricula in Türkiye and similar contexts to foster informed and inclusive teaching practices.