Co-production with young people with developmental language disorder: Developing adapted materials for cognitive...

Young people with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) are at increased risk of mental health difficulties but often face barriers to accessing traditional talking therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Co-production offers a way to create more accessible interventions by involving those with lived experience as well as practitioners. However, co-producing with young people with DLD remains rare due to high language demands and inaccessible formats.

To explore how experienced-based co-design (EBCD) methodologies could be shaped to include young people with DLD, in the context of adapting a set of psychoeducational videos for depression and anxiety.

The UK-based project team consisted of 4 adolescents with DLD, their parents, and six Educational Mental Health Practitioners and 3 academic researchers. A five-stage process included recruiting team members, identifying therapy adaptations, selecting key psychoeducational concepts, developing scripts and videos, and reflecting on the process. Meetings were adapted to maximize accessibility through simplified language, visual aids, pre-meeting preparation videos, asynchronous tasks, and post-meeting summaries.

Ten adapted psychoeducational videos were co-produced. Key adaptations included slowed pacing, simplified vocabulary and concrete examples. Team members reported that the process felt inclusive and flexible, and that the final materials were more meaningful and relevant. Challenges included balancing parental input with young people's voices, managing conflicting feedback, and ensuring tasks were not overly demanding. Researcher reflexivity and flexibility was critical to maintaining engagement.

This project demonstrates that, with appropriate adaptation, co-production with young people with DLD and practitioners is both feasible and valuable. The process resulted in more accessible therapeutic materials and offers a starting point for further research involvement.