Development and evaluation of signed language development assessment tools for deaf and hard-of-hearing children

本研究的目的是开发和评价聋哑儿童手语发展评估工具。这些发展工具能够由不一定熟练掌握手语的教师在课堂上评估儿童的手语发展水平。此外，这些工具既不全面，也不耗时，但很简单，很容易执行。通过使用这些工具，教师可以计划实施一个项目，在这个项目中，孩子们可以通过手语学习和指导日语读写。因此，这些工具侧重于学龄前和小学早期水平的儿童。2004年，我纵向收集了关于手语发展的数据，这可能是发展评估项目的一部分。回顾了以往编制手语发展量表的各种尝试，对评估工具的类型进行了分类，并讨论了它们的目的和评估内容。在2005年间，基于这些数据，并参考其他早期手语评估的发展尝试，我开发了两种评估工具：一种是表现性手语发展检查表，另一种是接受性手语技能的测试，使用录像手语谈话。当地聋人也向我咨询了评估的内容和项目。

The purpose of this study was to develop and to evaluate the signed language development assessment tools for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. These developmental tools were to enable to assess the children's signed language developmental level in the classroom's situation by the teachers who were not necessarily so fluent in the signed language. In addition, these tools were not comprehensive nor time-consuming, but simple, and easily performing ones. Through using these tools, the teachers can plan to implement the program in which the children can learn and be instructed Japanese reading and writing through the signed language. Therefore these tools were focusing on preschool- and early elementary school-level children. During 2004, I gathered the data on sign language development longitudinally, which might be part of items for developmental assessment. I also reviewed on the various attempts on the previous development of signed language developmental scales, classifying the types of assessment tools, and discussing their purpose and contents to be assessed. During 2005, based on these data and also referencing to other early attempts of development in singed language assessment, I developed two types of assessment tools ; one was the checklist of expressive signed language development and the other was the test of receptive signed language skills, using video-taped signed talks. I also got consulted by native deaf people concerning the contents and items for assessment.