Language Sample Practices With Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Purpose: In this study, we aimed to identify common language sample practices of professionals who work with children who are Deaf/hard of hearing (DHH) who use listening and spoken language as a means to better understand why and how language sampling can be utilized by speech-language pathologists serving this population. Method: An electronic questionnaire was disseminated to professionals who serve children who are DHH and use listening and spoken language in the United States. Participant responses were coded in an Excel file and checked for completeness. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze trends. Results: A total of 168 participants participated in the survey. A majority of participants reported that they use language sampling as a part of their intervention when working with children who are DHH. However, approximately half of participants reported using norm-referenced testing most often when evaluating language of children who are DHH, regardless of the fact that they felt that language samples were more sensitive in identifying the errors of children who are DHH. Participants reported using language samples to monitor progress and set goals for clients. Participants rarely used language samples for eligibility and interprofessional collaboration. Conclusions: Language samples offer a unique way to examine a child's language development that norm-referenced assessments are not sensitive enough to detect, particularly for children who are DHH. This offers insights into current practice and implications for the development of a more clearly defined language sample protocol to guide practices in the use of language samples with children who are DHH and use listening and spoken language.