ABSTRACT
The earliest data developmental language disorder (DLD) in the Croatian literature can be found in Dusanka Vuletic’s papers published in the mid-1980s. The lack of empirical evidence has directly contributed to the lack of appropriate policies and regulations addressing the social and educational needs of children with DLD, and to the lack of consensus standards on therapy dosage, intensity and duration. Croatian national health insurance, called the Croatian Health Insurance Fund, pays for the majority of speech and language pathology (SLP) services provided to children with DLD. The formal education of SLPs is structured according to the Bologna Principles and organised in the 3 + 2 model. In Croatia, SLPs work mostly in collaboration with experts from related professions, such as neuro-paediatricians and psychologists. The complete assessment and diagnosis of school-age children is made outside of preschools and schools, usually by SLPs in polyclinics and hospitals.
