Assessing language skills in adult key word signers with intellectual disabilities: Insights from sign linguistics.
Use adult-relevant materials and sign-linguistic criteria—not child tools—when assessing language in adult key word signers with IDD.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Grove et al. (2017) reviewed how we test language in adults who use key word signing and have intellectual disabilities. They argue most tools are built for kids, not grown-ups.
The team says we should borrow rules from sign linguistics and pick adult topics like work or dating. Child picture cards miss the mark.
What they found
The paper is a position piece, not an experiment. It finds a gap: adult signers are scored with kid tests that ignore signs, gestures, and real-life context.
Their call: build new checks that value any mix of speech, sign, and gesture adults actually use.
How this fits with other research
Skinner (1981) sowed the same idea years ago. That paper told teachers to simplify signs and keep English word order for students with ID. Nicola extends the plea from teaching kids to testing adults.
Konstantareas (1984) showed kids learn grammar faster when signs ride along with speech. Bailey et al. (1990) added that live plus video beats video alone for sign production. These gains give Nicola a reason to ask for adult tests that credit the same multimodal mix.
López-Riobóo et al. (2019) sound a warning: young adults with Down syndrome have weaker auditory than visual skills, yet both channels lag. The two papers agree—check every channel, not just spoken answers—though Elena focuses on Down syndrome and Nicola on wider ID groups.
Why it matters
If you assess adults who sign, drop the child kit. Swap cartoon animals for adult photos or work props. Score any clear sign, gesture, or word. Note which modality carries the heaviest load. This shift can stop you from labeling an adult as “non-verbal” when they simply need a mixed-mode test.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Manual signing is one of the most widely used approaches to support the communication and language skills of children and adults who have intellectual or developmental disabilities, and problems with communication in spoken language. A recent series of papers reporting findings from this population raises critical issues for professionals in the assessment of multimodal language skills of key word signers. Approaches to assessment will differ depending on whether key word signing (KWS) is viewed as discrete from, or related to, natural sign languages. Two available assessments from these different perspectives are compared. Procedures appropriate to the assessment of sign language production are recommended as a valuable addition to the clinician's toolkit. Sign and speech need to be viewed as multimodal, complementary communicative endeavours, rather than as polarities. Whilst narrative has been shown to be a fruitful context for eliciting language samples, assessments for adult users should be designed to suit the strengths, needs and values of adult signers with intellectual disabilities, using materials that are compatible with their life course stage rather than those designed for young children.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2017.01.017