It is widely known that the first five years are critical for language development. Children who are deaf and hard of hearing are one population at risk for delays in language acquisition. When identified early, understanding language development is critical to identifying areas of strength and areas of potential concern. Missouri is working to assist families with children who are deaf or hard of hearing through the Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K) Act by providing milestones for American Sign Language (ASL) and English language and literacy milestones for children 0-5 years of age. Parents can choose to use ASL, English or both when working with their child and are encouraged to share their observations of their child's language development with early care and education professionals, physicians, early interventionists, etc.
LEAD-K is a national campaign to promote language acquisition and kindergarten-readiness for children ages 0-5 who are deaf and hard of hearing. Missouri passed House Bill 447 in August 2023 citing the following requirements:
- Selecting American Sign Language (ASL) and English language milestones that are easily used by parents and selected in terms of typical development of all children by age range,
- Including parent resources such as:
- Missouri hospital resources to assist families in monitoring and tracking expressive and receptive language acquisition
- Developmental stages towards ASL
- English literacy of deaf or hard of hearing children, and
- Using existing tools or assessments that can assess the language and literacy development of children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
National LEAD-K Information
- What is Language Deprivation?
- How Does Your Child Who is Deaf Acquire Language?
As you start your own journey in parenting a child with hearing loss, I have a special video message for you:
- My Deaf Child (Website)
- Myths About Your Child Who is Deaf
- Myths About Your Deaf Child (Video)
- Language Equality: The Work Isn't Over Yet
