Course curriculum

  • 1

    Course content

    • PowerPoint

    • Assessment of Sign Language Development in Deaf Children

    • Quiz

    • Evaluation

    • Continuing Education Credits

Course info

Course description: Deaf children are typically exposed to a range of languages and communication approaches. This presentation will discuss the importance of assessing deaf children’s language development in all the languages they use and review a range of measures that can be used to assess sign language development, focusing specifically on BSL and ASL measures. The presentation will also discuss staff roles in carrying out the assessment of sign language development, specifically the role of deaf staff. The final topic addressed will be the importance of language abilities (signed and spoken) in developing and facilitating literacy (reading and writing) and how accurate assessment can promote this connection.


Agenda:

5 minutes: Introduction

15 minutes: Importance of Language Assessment in Deaf Students

20 minutes: Description of BSL Assessment Tools

20 minutes: Description of ASL Assessment Tools

20 minutes: Staff Roles in Assessment

15 minutes: Language and Literacy Connections


Learner outcomes:

Participants will be able to:

  1. State the importance of assessing deaf children’s language development in all the languages they use
  2. Explain the importance of a team approach to sign language assessment, specifically the role of deaf staff
  3. Identify selected assessments of sign language acquisition in BSL and ASL
  4. Explain the importance of accurate language assessment in promoting deaf children’s literacy development

Instructor(s)

Charlotte Enns

Dr Charlotte Enns is a professor in the Education Department at the University of Manitoba. Her research focuses on the bilingual education of deaf studies, with an emphasis on recognizing the language and literacy rights of children.

Rosalind Herman

Dr. Ros Herman is a speech and language therapist and Professor of Child Language and Deafness at City University of London. Her research interests cover language development and assessment in deaf children, language impairments in British Sign Language (BSL) users, evaluating communication interventions, and literacy development and disorders in deaf individuals. Ros has published widely on these topics.

Speaker disclosures

Financial disclosure: Dr. Enns and  Dr. Herman are each receiving royalties for this course.

Nonfinancial disclosure: Dr. Enns and Dr. Herman have no relevant nonfinancial disclosures.

Continuing Education

This course is offered for 0.15 ASHA CEUs.