Introduction: Language development follows a typical pattern, its monitoring is critical for early identification of disorders.India is a multicultural diverse country,its imperative to heed to multilingualism while testing for language and learning disorders. LPT (Linguistic Profile Test) was available in most Indian regional languages, recently a new tool- DALI (Dyslexia Assessment in Languages of India) was unveiled for learning disorders.The present study,for the first time explores the role of linguistic profiling using LPT, DALI and other standardized tests in assessment of learning and language disorders.

Method: 15suspected cases of learning disorder with language comorbidities and 5 controls aged 8-13 years were enrolled in a case-control study, at a DBP Clinic in an urban academic hospital at Mumbai, India, after informed consent and IRB approval. They were stratified into 4 groups: Group I - 5suspected learning disorders cases;Group II- 5 cases with suspected learning disorders and ELP; Group III- 5cases of suspected learning and language disorders and GroupIV- 5 age,SES, L1matched neurotypical controls. Assessment battery consisted of WJ-3,E-REELS,LPT,DALI and curriculum based tests.

Results and Discussion:Results revealed variant profiles, with Group I performing better in the phonological awareness and semantic domains. Subtle language deviationswere observed in group II, in absence of language disorder and performances were better in L1.All groups performed better in L2 as compared to L1, in semantic fluency domains, due to familiarity of common words in English. Delineating profiles in L1 and L2 across groups highlighted impact of language on literacy and phonological skills.

Conclusion:This study reiterates importance of language assessment in multilingual learning disordered children as poor language proficiency, language disorders mimic learning disorders in our country. DALI is an effective tool in profiling performances across native and instructional languages, aiding in diagnosis.