Policy brief
Reforming outcomes measurement for deaf children in early intervention
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22965349 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Marissa Chappell (0009-0006-3438-5000, University of Connecticut, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-10 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1081-4159 • E-ISSN: 1465-7325 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/jdsade/enag022 |
| PMID | 42268865 |
| OpenAlex | W7164144260 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 32 |
This policy brief examines critical flaws in the Child Outcomes Summary Form (COSF), the primary tool used to assess developmental progress in early intervention (EI) systems, and highlights its discriminatory impact on deaf children. The COSF is built on an audist framework that systematically excludes signed language competence as a valid developmental indicator and fails to account for the diverse developmental trajectories of deaf infants and young children. This foundational bias is particularly harmful for deaf children identified through newborn hearing screening, who often enter Birth to Three services well before typical referral ages. When a deaf child’s development naturally diverges from hearing monolingual norms over time, the COSF produces artificially declining scores that misrepresent genuine developmental progress. These biased measurements undermine family confidence, distort program evaluations, and jeopardize funding for specialized services proven to improve outcomes when initiated early. The current brief highlights the COSF’s inconsistent and harmful theoretical foundations, demonstrates its misalignment with contemporary research on evidence-based assessment of deaf children, and proposes reform measures to ensure culturally responsive, linguistically valid evaluation. Implementing these reforms is essential to protecting the civil rights of deaf children and ensuring accurate, equitable EI assessment.
Child development · Competence (human resources) · Hearing loss · Intervention (counseling) · Language development · Policy development · Referral · Hearing Impairment and Communication · Infant Development and Preterm Care · Language Development and Disorders
Early Intervention and Language Development in Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Peeling back the layers
Evidence-Based Practices in Deaf Education
Language not auditory experience is related to parent-reported executive functioning in preschool-aged deaf and hard-of-hearing children
Deaf children need language, not (just) speech
From Screening to Early Identification and Intervention
Early Intervention Protocols
The complexity in deaf and hard-of-hearing multilingual learner education
Deaf children’s early sign language access
Relationships Between Spoken Word and Sign Processing in Children With Cochlear Implants
Executive Functioning and Speech-Language Skills Following Long-Term Use of Cochlear Implants
Teachers' Perceptions of Promoting Sign Language Phonological Awareness in an ASL/English Bilingual Program
Challenging the “norm”
Deaf/hard of hearing ecological assessment form—child (Deaf-C)
Family-Centered Early Intervention Deaf/Hard of Hearing (FCEI-DHH)
Spoken English Language Development Among Native Signing Children With Cochlear Implants
Academic Achievement of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students in an ASL/English Bilingual Program
Deaf Children’s ASL Vocabulary and ASL Syntax Knowledge Supports English Knowledge
Best Practices in Family-Centered Early Intervention for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Toward a social relational model of Deaf childhood
Translanguaging Practices of a Multiethnic and Multilingual Deaf Family in a Raciolinguistic World and Beyond
| Highly cited | No |
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