Dr Lizz Hill addresses an often-overlooked barrier to fair and effective mental health care: language skills. Many children and young people experiencing mental health difficulties also have trouble understanding or using spoken language. This can include developmental language disorder (DLD), a lifelong condition that affects how people understand and communicate with others. Research suggests that language challenges may affect up to 80% of young people with mental health difficulties, yet they are not routinely recognised in mental health services.
Communication is central to almost every part of mental health care. Young people must be able to describe their experiences, understand questions and explanations, and use therapeutic strategies in their everyday lives. These tasks can be especially difficult for someone with language challenges.
When services do not recognise or accommodate these needs, young people may be misunderstood or viewed as disengaged. They may struggle to access care, participate fully in therapy, or benefit from treatments that rely heavily on conversation. In some cases, they may be excluded from support altogether. Lizz’s research seeks to make this hidden inequity visible and ensure that young people can access mental health care, regardless of how they understand or use language.
Lizz’s research brings together young people and families with speech pathologists, mental health professionals, educators, researchers, and community organisations to make mental health care more accessible. Rather than developing solutions in isolation, she works in partnership with the people who will use them. This ensures that new approaches reflect lived experience and can be applied in real-world settings.
She co-designs and evaluates practical interventions, resources, and workforce training that help professionals recognise language challenges and adapt the way they communicate. This may include using clearer language, improving how information is presented, checking understanding, and making therapeutic activities easier to use in everyday life.
Lizz’s research spans schools, universities, community services, and clinical settings. She also strengthens the ability of organisations and communities to identify communication barriers and advocate for more equitable support. By connecting research with teaching, professional training, and community partnerships, Lizz helps translate evidence into lasting changes in practice.
Ultimately, her work aims to ensure that communication differences do not prevent young people from receiving effective mental health care. She is building the evidence, practical tools, and workforce capability needed to create services that are more inclusive, responsive, and equitable.