- Caselli, N., Pyers, J., & Lieberman, A. M. (2021). Deaf children of hearing parents have age-level vocabulary growth when exposed to ASL by six-months. The Journal of Pediatrics, 232, 229. This study shows that Deaf children with hearing parents who were exposed to American Sign Language (ASL) by six months of age showed vocabulary growth on par with hearing peers, suggesting early sign exposure can prevent language delays.
- Delcenserie, A., Genesee, F., & Champoux, F. (2024). Exposure to sign language prior and after cochlear implantation increases language and cognitive skills in deaf children. Developmental Science, 27, e13481. In this study, it was shown that Deaf children who were exposed to sign language, both before and after receiving a cochlear implant, showed stronger language and thinking skills, which suggests that sign language and cochlear implants can work well together.
- Dostal, H. M., & Wolbers, K. A. (2014). Developing language and writing skills of deaf and hard of hearing students: A simultaneous approach. Literacy Research and Instruction, 53(3), 245–268. This study found that using ASL and English together in instruction helped deaf and hard of hearing students build stronger language and writing skills.
- Edwards, A., Edwards, L., & Langdon, D. (2013). The mathematical abilities of children with cochlear implants. Child Neuropsychology, 19(2), 127-142. In this article, the researchers found that children with cochlear implants performed significantly below hearing peers on both arithmetic math problems and geometrical reasoning questions and that this difference between the two groups was mediated by language abilities.
- Finton, E., Hall, W. C., Berke, M., Bye, R., Ikeda, S., & Caselli, N. (2024). Age-expected language and academic outcomes for deaf children with hearing caregivers. The Journal of Special Education, 58(4), 232–243. Deaf children with hearing caregivers can reach age-expected language and academic outcomes, and this study points to the conditions that support that success, including early access to a fully accessible language.
- Gottardis, L., Nunes, T., & Lunt, I. (2011). A synthesis of research on deaf and hearing children’s mathematical achievement. Deafness and Education International, 13(3), 131-150.This provides a literature review comparing deaf and hearing children’s performance in mathematics, finding that children with greater than moderate hearing loss experience a delay in mathematical achievement in comparison to hearing peers.
- Hall, M. L., Eigsti, I. M., Bortfeld, H., & Lillo-Martin, D. (2018). Executive function in deaf children: Auditory access and language access. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 61(8), 1970–1988. This study shows that Deaf children’s executive function skills (such as planning, focus, and self-control) appear to be linked more closely to how much access they have to language than to how much they can hear, so full access to language matters for these skills.
- Hall, M. L., Hall, W. C., & Caselli, N. K. (2019). Deaf children need language, not (just) speech. First Language, 39(4), 367–395. This study shows that giving deaf children access to speech alone is not enough for healthy development; they need a fully accessible language, such as sign language, to avoid the risks of language deprivation.
- Henner, J., Caldwell-Harris, C. L., Novogrodsky, R., & Hoffmeister, R. (2016). American sign language syntax and analogical reasoning skills are influenced by early acquisition and age of entry to signing schools for the deaf. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 1982. According to this study, Deaf children who learned ASL earlier and entered signing schools at a younger age had stronger sign language grammar and reasoning skills, showing that early access to sign language supports both language and thinking.
- Humphries, T., Mathur, G., Napoli, D. J., & Rathmann, C. (2024). An approach designed to fail deaf children and their parents and how to change it. Harm Reduction Journal, 21(1), 132. These authors argue that approaches focused only on spoken language often leave deaf children without full language access, and they recommend that families be given balanced information about sign language from the start.
- Joint Committee on Infant Hearing. (2007). Year 2007 position statement: Principles and guidelines for early hearing detection and intervention programs. Pediatrics, 120, 898-921.In their 2007 Position Statement, the Joint Committee on Infant Hearing recommends early screenings to detect infant hearing loss followed by early intervention if hearing loss is confirmed.
- Joint Committee on Infant Hearing. (2013). Supplement to the JCIH 2007 position statement: Principles and guidelines for early intervention after confirmation that a child is deaf or hard of hearing. Pediatrics, 131, 1324-1349.This supplement to the JCIH 2007 position statement provides comprehensive guidelines and goals for early hearing detection and intervention programs. It concludes that their statement advocates for coordinated statewide early intervention programs for children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families.
- Lyness, C. R., Woll, B., Campbell, R., & Cardin, V. (2013). How does visual language affect crossmodal plasticity and cochlear implant success? Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 37(10), 2621-2630.This provides a literature review that challenges the notion that acquisition of a visual language is correlated with poor cochlear implant outcome. Noting the flaws in animal models used in prior research, they argue that there is no evidence to suggest that the visual takeover of the auditory cortex in deaf individuals is due to visual language, and therefore there is no evidence that visual language should impede cochlear implant success.
- Pagliaro, C., & Karen, L. K. (2012). The math gap: a description of the mathematics performance of preschool-aged deaf/hard-of-hearing children. Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 18(2), 139-160. This study by Pagliaro and Karen (2012) provides evidence that deaf or hard-of-hearing children do not perform as well as hearing children in tests of mathematical knowledge as early as preschool, and therefore may be lacking foundational skills even before formal schooling.
- Shusterman, A., Peretz-Lange, R., Berkowitz, T., & Carrigan, E. (2022). The development of early numeracy in deaf and hard of hearing children acquiring spoken language. Child Development, 93(5), e468–e483. Deaf and hard of hearing children learning spoken language tended to lag behind hearing peers in early math skills, which suggests that these children may benefit from extra support with early numeracy.
- Swanwick, R., Oddy, A., & Roper, T. (2005). Mathematics and deaf children: An exploration of barriers to success. Deafness and Education International, 7(1), 1-21. This study found that deaf children often begin school behind hearing peers in math, and that the language of math problems, gaps in building skills step by step, and a shortage of specialist teachers can all stand in the way. The findings suggest deaf children benefit most from clear, accessible instruction that supports both language and skill-building.
- Szarkowski, A., & Eng, D. F. (2014). High and appropriate expectations for deaf and hard of hearing children: The role of assessment. Odyssey, 15, 1-5. This article suggests that high expectations significantly correlate to success for deaf and hard of hearing children, especially between the parent and child. Appropriately high expectations held by supportive parents with assessments held in the preferred communication mode or language of the child related to achievement in developmental milestones.