Updated on
July 2, 2026
An evidence-informed guide for teachers and SENCOs on using the Derbyshire Language Scheme (DLS) to support learners with language delay. This article explains Information Carrying Words (ICWs), implementation, and the research evidence.
The Derbyshire Language Scheme (DLS) is a developmental language intervention designed to assess and improve receptive language skills in learners. Developed in the UK, it is widely used by Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs), SENCOs, and teaching assistants to support children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) or other Speech, Language, and Communication Needs (SLCN).
The central concept of the DLS is the 'Information Carrying Word' (ICW). An ICW is any word within an instruction that a learner must understand to respond correctly. By systematically increasing the number of ICWs in a spoken command, the scheme provides a structured way to build a learner's ability to process increasingly complex language.
For example, the instruction "Give me the red car" contains two ICWs. The learner must understand both "red" (not blue, not green) and "car" (not doll, not block) to succeed. The scheme uses simple, play-based activities with carefully selected toys and objects to assess a learner's current ICW level and then teach the next stage.
The DLS is primarily intended for learners with identified receptive language difficulties. This includes:
It is particularly useful for establishing a baseline of a learner's receptive language ability and for providing a structured, measurable intervention pathway.
However, the DLS is not a universal solution. It is less suited for learners whose primary difficulty is with expressive language (forming sentences) rather than receptive language (understanding). While it can support expressive skills indirectly, other approaches like Colourful Semantics or usage-based therapies may be more appropriate for targeting sentence construction. Furthermore, as the scheme is heavily dependent on auditory memory, its results must be interpreted with care. A low score may reflect a working memory deficit as much as a language comprehension issue (Frizelle, 2017).
The DLS operates on a clear cognitive principle: to improve language comprehension, we must scaffold a learner's ability to hold and process multiple units of information in their auditory working memory. The ICW framework provides the scaffold.
The process typically involves two phases: assessment and teaching.
1. Assessment: The practitioner uses a standardised set of toys and objects to find the learner's current ICW level. They give a series of instructions, starting at the 1-ICW level.
A important part of the assessment is "the choice rule". For a word to be an ICW, the learner must have a genuine choice. To test the word "red", there must be an object of another colour available. To test the word "cup", another type of object must be present.
2. Teaching: Once the learner's maximum reliable ICW level is found, teaching begins at that level. The goal is to consolidate understanding before moving to the next level of complexity. The practitioner uses play-based scenarios, giving many examples of instructions at the target ICW level until the learner is consistently successful. Only then do they introduce the next ICW level.
A critical element of DLS delivery, often missed in busy classrooms, is the elimination of non-verbal cues. To truly assess language processing, the teacher must not point, look at the correct object, or use gestures. The instruction must be carried by the words alone.
The principles of DLS can be adapted for older learners using age-appropriate materials. Consider a Year 4 lesson on the Romans. A teacher is working with a small group of learners with SLCN.
Target: Secure understanding at a 3-ICW level.
Resources: A large map of Roman Britain, a tray of small figures (Roman legionaries, Celtic warriors), and model buildings (a villa, a fort).
Teacher's setup: The teacher ensures there are clear contrasts for each potential ICW. The tray contains both legionaries and warriors. The map has both villas and forts marked in multiple locations.
What the teacher says: The teacher gains the learner's attention and gives the instruction clearly, without pointing or looking at the map.
"Put the legionary beside the fort."
What the learner does: The learner must hold three key pieces of information and act on them in sequence:
If the learner makes a mistake, for example, putting the legionary beside the villa, the teacher knows the breakdown occurred on the third ICW. They can then simplify the task to consolidate the concept of 'fort' before re-attempting the 3-ICW instruction.
A significant critique of the DLS framework is that it conflates language comprehension with working memory. Teachers often assume a learner's failure on a DLS task is purely a language problem. However, research highlights that a learner's ability to complete the task is heavily determined by their raw working memory capacity (Frizelle, 2017).
| Step | Action | Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Baseline Assessment | Use a simple, play-based setup with clear contrasts to find the learner's current ICW level. Start at 1-ICW and move up until they make consistent errors. | Ensure the environment is quiet and free from distractions. Do not use any gestural or visual cues. The learner's success must depend only on understanding the words. |
| 2. Target Setting | Set the teaching target at the learner's highest consistent ICW level. The aim is to build fluency and confidence before increasing complexity. | A learner who gets 3 out of 5 at the 3-ICW level should work at the 2-ICW level until it is fully secure. |
| 3. Structured Teaching | Plan short, regular sessions (e.g., 10-15 minutes daily) using a variety of toys and activities. Provide many opportunities for the learner to hear and respond to instructions at their target level. | Keep it fun and engaging. The DLS is a 'little and often' approach. Repetition is key. |
| 4. Scaffolding | If the learner makes a mistake, simplify the instruction. For example, if they fail at a 3-ICW level, drop back to a 2-ICW level instruction within the same activity. | Use praise for listening and trying, not just for correct answers. The goal is to build confidence. |
| 5. Increasing Complexity | Once the learner is consistently successful at their target level (e.g., 90% accuracy over several sessions), introduce the next ICW level. | Start the next level with very clear, simple contrasts before making the choices more subtle. |
| 6. Monitor and Record | Keep a simple record of sessions, including the target ICW level, the activities used, and the learner's success rate. | This data is vital for tracking progress and demonstrating the impact of the intervention. It also helps in discussions with SLTs and parents. |
In essence, a 4-ICW instruction requires a learner to hold four separate chunks of information in their mind while they act. A learner with a weak working memory may understand the individual words ("little," "blue," "cup," "on") but be unable to retain the full sequence long enough to execute the command.
This has important implications for the classroom. When a learner struggles with multi-step instructions, it is vital to consider whether the issue is:
Using DLS principles can help diagnose the issue, but we must be cautious not to label a working memory challenge as a simple language deficit.
For a SENCO or TA looking to use DLS principles for a targeted intervention, a structured approach is key.
The evidence base for language interventions is complex. While the ICW construct is very widely used in UK speech and language therapy, direct research into the DLS programme itself is less common than for its underlying principles (Spencer et al., 2025). Systematic reviews of oral language interventions generally find positive effects, but the size of the effect varies greatly depending on the type and intensity of the intervention (Heidlage et al., 2019; Donolato et al., 2023).
The most recent and rigorous evaluation of an adapted form of the scheme (A-DLS) produced mixed results. The study found that while A-DLS led to significant improvements in children's oral comprehension, it was less effective than a usage-based therapy (Building Early Sentences Therapy) at improving children's ability to generate their own sentences (expressive language) and in sustaining progress after the intervention had finished (McKean et al., 2025).
Therefore, while the DLS is a valuable tool for developing receptive language, teachers should be aware of its limitations.
The core principle of the DLS, breaking language down into manageable 'information carrying' units, aligns perfectly with the Structural Learning approach of using building blocks to understand sentence structure. The DLS provides the foundation of comprehension upon which the expressive skills taught with sentence building blocks can be constructed.
| Approach | Focus | Mechanism | Best for... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Derbyshire Language Scheme | Receptive language (understanding instructions) | Systematically increasing the number of Information Carrying Words (ICWs) a learner can process. | Assessing and building auditory memory and the ability to follow increasingly complex commands. |
| Colourful Semantics | Expressive language (sentence structure) | Using colour-coded visual cues to help learners understand the structure of sentences (Who? What doing? What? Where?). | Learners who can understand words but struggle to organise them into grammatically correct sentences. |
| Usage-Based Therapies (e.g., BEST) | Expressive language (generalisation) | High-intensity modelling and recasting of target sentence structures in meaningful contexts to build abstract grammatical rules. | Developing flexible, independent sentence construction and promoting long-term language growth. |
A learner who has progressed through the DLS to a 4-ICW level has demonstrated the cognitive capacity to hold four key ideas in mind. This is the prerequisite for constructing a sentence with four distinct elements, such as:
You can use the DLS framework to check if a learner has the receptive capacity for the sentence structures you are teaching. If a learner struggles to build a four-part sentence, assess their ICW level. They may need targeted work on holding three or four pieces of information in their working memory before they can successfully manipulate three or four sentence blocks.
1. Do I need special training to use the Derbyshire Language Scheme? While formal training is offered and is highly beneficial for SLTs, teachers and TAs can effectively use the principles of ICW assessment and teaching by following the structured sequence described above. The key is rigour in removing non-verbal cues and providing clear contrasts.
2. Can I use the DLS with a whole class? The DLS is designed as an individual or very small group intervention. Its strength lies in its ability to target a learner's specific developmental level. It is not practical for whole-class teaching, but its principles, such as being mindful of the number of key instructions you give at once, are excellent universal practice.
3. What's the difference between the Derbyshire Language Scheme and the 'Rapid DLS'? The 'Rapid DLS' is often a school-adapted version designed to be delivered more quickly or to larger groups. These adaptations can be pragmatic, but as research suggests, they may lose the individualised progression of the full scheme and be less effective at generating expressive language gains (McKean et al., 2025).
4. How long should a learner be on the programme? This is highly individual. Progress depends on the learner's starting point, the frequency of sessions, and any co-occurring difficulties. The key is to see steady progress through the ICW levels, which should be documented and reviewed regularly.
Choose one multi-step instruction you regularly give your class. Identify the information-carrying words within it. Next lesson, when you give that instruction to a learner who struggles to follow directions, say it clearly and then consciously pause, making no gestures or pointing. Watch to see where the breakdown occurs. This small act of observation is the first step in diagnosing whether the barrier is vocabulary, comprehension, or working memory.
