The Michigan Department of Education Resource for Deaf/Hard of Hearing (MDE RDHH) is excited to share the launch of a new Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K) parent resource website, LEAD-K Michigan.
This site is designed to support families from the time a child is identified as deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) all the way to the start of kindergarten. It includes easy-to-use info, helpful tools, and trusted resources to guide families in fostering their child’s language and learning.
A central feature of the website is the new Michigan Language Milestones for DHH, which outline developmental expectations for children, ages birth to five, who are DHH. Families can use these milestones to see how their child’s language is developing, celebrate progress, and know if it’s important to reach out for support. The goal is to ensure every child in Michigan who is DHH has an opportunity to build strong language skills before kindergarten.
The website also includes recommended language assessments for early interventionists and school personnel who work with young children who are DHH. These assessments help track how a child is doing in both understanding and using language, whether they’re learning ASL, spoken English, or both. It’s all about supporting early language development and making sure each child gets the support they need to thrive.
Recommended assessments include:
- American Sign Language Expressive Skills Test (ASL-EST)
- American Sign Language Receptive Skills Test (ASL-RST)
- Arizona Articulation and Phonology Scale
- Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals – Preschool (CELF-P3)
- Communication Matrix
- Cottage Acquisition Scales for Listening, Language & Speech (CASLLS)
- Developmental Assessment of Young Children (DAYC-2)
- MacArthur Bates Communicative Development Inventories (MB-CDI & ASL-CDI)
- Receptive-Expressive Emergent Language Test (REEL-4)
- Rosetti Infant-Toddler Language Scale
- Visual Communication and Sign Language Checklist (VCSL)
By combining clear milestones with evidence-based assessment tools, the LEAD-K Michigan parent resource site helps ensure every child in Michigan who is DHH has the opportunity to develop strong language skills before entering kindergarten.
Visit the website: LEAD-K Michigan
About LEAD-K
Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Kids (LEAD-K) is a national effort to provide language acquisition resources for parents and guardians of young children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). In December 2022, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Michigan’s LEAD-K bill into law as Public Act 256 (PA 256). The legislation seeks to ensure that children who are DHH have a strong language foundation and are kindergarten-ready when they start school.