ASL STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT
Early Childhood Education Department
California School for the Deaf
39350 Galluadet Drive
Fremont, CA 94538
​3 to 12 months
  • Begins to notice signing
  • First sign may emerge from 10 to 12 months
  • Babbles with hands
  • Imitates facial expressions
  • Points to people, objects and places but not at self
 
12 to 18 months
  • Uses at least 10 signs
  • Begins to use points as pronouns
  • Acquires new signs but does not mark with inflections
 
18 to 24 months
  • Signs reflect basic handshapes with simple movements (straight forward, up, or down)
  • Early signs not always produced according to adult conventional forms
  • Combines 2 or 3 signs including points
  • Begins to distinguish and use non-manual markers (facial grammar)
 
2 to 3 years
  • Sign order used to show semantic relations
  • Begins to use classifiers to represent objects (with little or no movement); types limited by the handshapes child can produce
  • Begins to use varied inflected verb forms (directional/agreement, dual, temporal aspect)
  • Attempts more complex signs but substitutes basic handshapes for the complex handshapes Begins to use non-manual markers (raised/squinted eyebrows) for YES/NO and WH-questions Demonstrates negation with headshake or sign "NO" Begins to use possessive (your, mine) and plural (US-TWO, YOU THREE) pronouns
  • Refers to things around them during conversations and storytelling; may copy the actions and facial expressions of others in a story
 
3 to 4 years
  • Begins to mark distinctions between noun-verb pairs (FLY/AIRPLANE)
  • Uses classifiers to show objects and movements of these objects
  • Begins to make modifications to verb signs to show the manner and amount of time involved in an activity (temporal aspect) by changing the movement of the sign and/or adding facial expressions
  • All "real world” pronouns (pointing at objects and people in the immediate environment) used correctly
  • Tells stories through use of objects or role-playing; may not always show clearly who is speaking or doing something
 
4 to 5 years
  • More complex handshapes and movement (wiggling fingers, twisting wrists) used accurately
  • Begins to use 'noun modifications to show different meaning (e.g. repeating the noun to show plural)
  • Simple sentences still used by complex sentences including topicalization and rhetorical questions emerging
  • Begins to set up points in space to establish location for people and objects not present in the environment
  • Role-playing used more frequently with characters clearly identified but skills to show changes in roles such as body shifts, eye gaze and facial expression not used consistently
 
5 to 6 years
  • Clear and consistent use of complex handshapes and movement
  • Fingerspelling used more
  • Use of complex sentences including relative clauses and conditionals continuing to expand Use of verb modifications to show intensity, manner, number and distribution continuing to expand
  • Use of abstract referencing to talk about people and things not in the present environment
  • Storytelling becomes more "adult like"; makes frequent self corrections
  • Takes on a variety of roles during conversation and storytelling; changes in roles indicated through facial expression, body shifts and eye gaze shown clearly and consistently
 
 
References:
 
Bonvillian, J.D., Orlansky, M.D. and Floven, R.J., Early Sign Language Acquisition: Implications for Theories of Language Acquisition, Third International Symposium on Sign Language Research, 1983
 
French, Martha; The Toolkit Appendices for Starting with Assessment-A Developmental Approach to Deaf Children's Literacy, Pre-College National Mission Programs, Gallaudet University, Washington, D.C., 1999
 
Newport, Elissa L. and Meier, Richard p.; The Acquisition of American Sign Language, NIH/NSF Research Grants, 1986
 
Schick, Brenda; The Development of ASL, University of Maryland, 1991
 
Sign Talk Development Project, Discovering with Words and Signs, A Resource Guide for Developing a Bilingual and Bicultural Preschool Program for Deaf and Hearing Children, 1994