Support for deaf children aged 0 to 5 years: Guide

Hitchins, A. Lewis, S. Holmans, A. Grover, A. Wakefield, T. Cormier, K. Rowley, K. Macsweeney, M. | View as single page | Feedback/Impact

Measurements and assessments

Below we list some of the assessments that are used with deaf children 0-5, to identify the stages the child is at, in order to help that child to make the appropriate progress.

General development

  • The Learning Accomplishment Profile - Third Edition (LAP-3)34 is a criterion-referenced assessment instrument for the 36-72 month age range, measuring development in the domains of gross motor, fine motor, pre-writing, cognitive, language, self-help, and social emotional.
  • Monitoring Protocol for Deaf Children.

Recognised Speech and Language assessments

  • PreSchool Language Scales (PLS-5 UK)35. PLS-5 UK offers you a comprehensive developmental language assessment, with items that range from pre-verbal, interaction-based skills to emerging language and early literacy.
  • CELF-Preschool 2UK36 measures a broad range of expressive and receptive language skills in young children.
  • Assessment of Comprehension and Expression (ACE)37. Designed to identify children with delayed or impaired language development, the Assessment of Comprehension and Expression 6-11 (ACE 6-11) provides valuable and extensive information about their overall language ability. 

Theory of Mind assessments

  • Theory of Mind Inventory38.  This well-validated parent-informant measure is designed to assess a wide range of theory of mind competencies, it does not suffer from ceiling effect when administered to individuals with autism spectrum disorder, and it is not vulnerable to test-practice effects and child linguistic, cognitive, and motivational factors.

Mathematical Concepts assessments

  • Boehm 3 Pre-school39.  This standardised test is designed to rapidly identify children who lack understanding of basic relational concepts and provide intervention sooner, increasing their chance of success in school.

Other Assessments

For a comprehensive list of assessments, see the NDCS interactive resource 'Assessment and Monitoring the Progress of Deaf Children and Young People'.