The Standardized Visual Communication and Sign Language Checklist for Signing Children

Simms, Laurene; Baker, Sharon; Clark, M. Diane

doi:10.1353/sls.2013.0029

Cited by 40 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…We do not have production data for our native signers, but it is reasonable to assume that their abilities would resemble those reported by Chen Pichler. Language acquisition in native signers has been shown to follow predictable milestones (Simms, Baker, & Clark, ). Averaging across individual differences, native signing children of the same age should have similar production abilities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Development of Sensitivity to Grammatical Violations in American Sign Language: Native Versus Nonnative Signers

et al. 2017

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Factors influencing native and nonnative signers’ syntactic judgment ability in American Sign Language (ASL) were explored for 421 deaf students aged 7;6–18;5. Predictors for syntactic knowledge were chronological age, age of entering a school for the deaf, gender, and additional learning disabilities. Mixed‐effects linear modeling analysis revealed main effects of each predictor and an interaction between signing status and learning disability. The native signers showed typical syntactic development that varied by chronological age, gender, additional learning disabilities, and age of entering a deaf school. In contrast, the syntactic development of nonnative signers was more variable. It was less tightly related to chronological age and more strongly influenced by the age at which they had entered the school where assessment occurred, which was highly related to length of exposure to a sign language.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Development of Sensitivity to Grammatical Violations in American Sign Language: Native Versus Nonnative Signers

et al. 2017

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“…The Visual Communication and Sign Language Checklist (VCSL) is a standardized, norm‐referenced assessment tool that allows parents and educators to determine the visual communication and sign language skills of a child who is DHH. The VCSL also allows for ongoing progress monitoring in the acquisition of visual language, including semantics, syntax, and pragmatics (Simms, Baker, & Clark, ). The VCSL is normed based on typical visual language milestones from birth to age 5 in children who are DHH.…”

Section: Challenges Of Assessing and Description Of Two Appropriate Amentioning

confidence: 99%

Building strong foundations for educational achievement: Language assessments in early childhood education for deaf and hard of hearing children

Graham

Shuler‐Krause

2019

Psychology in the Schools

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It is widely accepted that assessment plays a role in monitoring the development of young children with special needs in early intervention/early childhood settings. The process of assessing young children's language skills often looks for delays within a solid language foundation. However, many children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) may not have a solid language foundation to assess, leading to inaccurate assessment. When we reframe how we assess language skills in children who are DHH, we ensure the assessment provides a comprehensive picture of the child's language development. It is important to modify language assessment tools where necessary while ensuring the assessment stays reliable and valid. It is critical to use multiple assessment tools to monitor the child's progress, including standardized assessments and assessment tools normed for DHH populations. Finally, it is crucial to monitor the child's skills in each language that they are using, regardless of which language is used most often. We explain why each of these factors needs to be considered in the assessment of young children who are DHH, will discuss the challenges of assessing this population, and will provide solutions to some of the challenges of assessing language skills in of young children who are DHH. K E Y W O R D S assessment, deaf, language

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“…Simms, Baker, and Clark () created the Visual Communication and Sign Language (VCSL) checklist, the first standardized instrument to measure developmental milestones in children between 0 and 5‐year old. The VCSL checklist was developed by merging several previously developed sign language development checklists—some formerly published, others teacher‐developed and used in the classroom, along with information from the literature and feedback from experts such as linguists, practitioners in Deaf Education settings, and psychologists.…”

Section: The Impact Of Standardized English Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This problem in the development of standardized assessments in minoritized populations is common, rendering it challenging to produce accurate data to inform people about Deaf and Hard of Hearing children's actual strengths and potential. Notwithstanding, this is the first standardized tool of its kind, and more research needs to be conducted to make the validity of this assessment stronger, especially with attention to subgroups within the bilingual Deaf and Hard of Hearing population (Simms et al, ).…”

Section: The Impact Of Standardized English Testsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessments to evaluate bilinguals: The overdue discussion of the deaf and hard of hearing student population in the United States

Holcomb

Lawyer

2019

Psychology in the Schools

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Assessment is a major part of the United States schooling system. Legal requirements make assessment a large part of practitioner responsibilities. The significance of assessment is, even more, the case for special populations such as bilingual hearing and Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, groups that are often the target of concern for English language development delays, differences, and/or disorders. In this article, we discuss the issues around assessing the language of Deaf and Hard of Hearing bilingual students in the United States. We highlight parallels between Deaf Education and hearing bilingual education in regard to language assessment, as well as discuss important distinctions such as the placement of Deaf Education within Special Education and working with two or more language modalities (e.g., signed, spoken, and written). In addition, alternative language assessment practices are discussed. We close this article by proposing ways for practitioners to satisfy legal and field mandates to assess Deaf and Hard of Hearing students while also applying best practices for assessing language skills in bilingual populations.

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The Standardized Visual Communication and Sign Language Checklist for Signing Children

Cited by 40 publications

References 15 publications

The Development of Sensitivity to Grammatical Violations in American Sign Language: Native Versus Nonnative Signers

The Development of Sensitivity to Grammatical Violations in American Sign Language: Native Versus Nonnative Signers

Building strong foundations for educational achievement: Language assessments in early childhood education for deaf and hard of hearing children

Assessments to evaluate bilinguals: The overdue discussion of the deaf and hard of hearing student population in the United States

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