Managing children with developmental language disorder: The Netherlands (National Vignettes)

Abstract

The first group to be identified with language problems in the Netherlands were deaf children in the sixteenth century, when monks taught deaf children and children with severe hearing problems to speak. In 1692 the first book, in Latin, was published on how to teach the deaf to speak. It was titled Surdus Loquens and written by Johan Conrad Amman. The book was translated to English in 1694 as Talking Deaf Man. In 1960 the Tijdschrift voor Doofstommen en Slechthorendenonderwijs (‘Journal for the education of the “deaf and dumb�? and hearing impaired’) saw the light. Initially, this journal was almost exclusively devoted to children with hearing problems. In 1963 the name was changed to Het gehoorgestoorde kind (‘The hearing-impaired child’) and in 1978 to Van Horen Zeggen (‘From hear say’). This name better reflected the increasing number of children with speech and language difficulties, but normal hearing, in the schools.