Child Development

Child development includes physical, cognitive, social, and linguistic changes that occur as children grow. Although each child develops at their own pace, predictable milestones help caretakers and educators recognize when a child may need additional support. On this Child Development page, I:

Map "typical" childhood milestones across age ranges and developmental categories.
Explain how assessment and accommodation tools are used to support students' unique developmental journey.
Demonstrate the following essential competencies for professional practice in the educational system.

School Interpreting Series (SIS) Standards

(Preparing School Interpreters Project, 2024)

SIS Competency 2

Integrate child and language development knowledge into the educational experiences and interactions of a diverse body of deaf and hard of hearing students across their academic years. (Knowledge, Skill, & Attitude)

SIS Competency 3

Enact the roles and responsibilities of a school interpreter as a Related Service Provider guided by the educational plan that supports the deaf and hard of hearing student’s needs and under the guidance of assigned school personnel. (Knowledge and Skill)

SIS Competency 5

Enact interpreting and other related services guided by the educational system, framed by learning theories, and influenced by the practices of the educational team in support of each student’s access and interactions. (Knowledge and Skill)

This page features: Childhood Development, Assessments & Accommodations, Overarching Reflection, and References.

Childhood Development

START editing for Childhood Development assignment (continue until "STOP editing for Childhood Development")

[Add an introductory paragraph broadly introducing childhood development, and how the map below represents "typical" development for students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Connect the appropriate SIS Competency (see above).]

[Add paragraph(s) narrating the map, consider things like:

Highlight key elements.
Define/explain key elements.
Highlight the common challenges faced by DHH children during their childhood development.
Remember the audience and what they need to get from this map of milestones.

NOTE: The map narration may come before the map (its current placement), after the map (moving placement), or a combination of both before and after. Use your judgment based on what you elect to narrate.]

[The PDF below is a placeholder map. You need to replace this placeholder with your final map based on the class-wide version created during Application Activities.

Download/make a copy of the class-wide Google Doc version.
Make any edits you feel are necessary for your individual submission of this map.
Save the file as a PDF.
Upload the PDF to Wix and replace this placeholder map with your finalized map.]

[Add a conclusion reflecting on how your future/current work as an interpreter in schools (thoughts, beliefs, practices, and actions) will be shaped by child development. Incorporate into the conclusion a standout idea that influenced your understanding of childhood development from one of the following materials from Week 11: Childhood Learning:

The Learning Lounge videos
- by Dr. Mainello (learning theories, embodied approach, & takeaways for school professionals),
- by Dr. Girardin (language modeling), or
- by Ms. Townsend (manipulatives & collaboration)
BICS & CALP (language proficiency)
Manipulatives (teaching content through objects)

Remember to add in-text citations and references (see below) as needed.]

Assessments & Accommodations

CONTINUE editing for Childhood Development assignment (continue until "STOP editing for Childhood Development")

[Add an introductory paragraph broadly introducing assessments and accommodations in connection to childhood development. Connect the appropriate SIS Competency (see above) and the sub-headers below (Assessments & Accommodations).]

Assessments

The PARC (Placement and Readiness Checklist) is an assessment tool used to evaluate the communication skills and classroom readiness of DHH students, which helps IEP teams understand a student’s language abilities and support needs.

[Using a systems thinking lens, reflect on this specific assessment tool for its use by IEP teams to determine student abilities and readiness to learn. Explain the tools' connection/intersection to developmental milestones and the possible delays/gaps or barriers common to DHH students. Highlight why this specific tool is useful. Provide at least one clear example. Remember to add in-text citations and references (see below) as needed.]

NOTE 1: While the school interpreter can be mentioned in this reflection, the interpreter should not be the dominant focus. The school interpreter will be the focus below.

NOTE 2: School interpreters are not responsible for selecting or managing assessment or accommodation tools; Special Education Teachers or Case Managers handle those decisions. However, interpreters may be asked to share input, provide observations, or complete a portion of a tool based on their experience with the student.

[Add a transition sentence to the sub-header below.]

CONTINUE editing for Childhood Development assignment (continue until "STOP editing for Childhood Development")

Accommodations

Student Need for an Interpreter - A Guided IEP Team Discussion is an accommodation tool that helps educational teams determine if a student who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing needs interpreting services and what type of support best fits their communication needs.

[Using a systems thinking lens, reflect on this specific accommodation tool for its use by IEP teams to ensure student access and success. Explain the tools' connection/intersection to developmental milestones and the possible delays/gaps or barriers common to DHH students. Highlight why this specific tool is useful. Provide at least one clear example. Remember to add in-text citations and references (see below) as needed.]

[Add a transition sentence to the sub-header below.]

[Using a systems thinking and "it takes a village" lenses, explain the role and expertise the school interpreter brings to assessment and accommodation discussions and tools, and the interpreter's collaboration with the IEP team through these processes. Highlight how these specific tools would guide the observations, inputs, strategies, and decision-making of the school interpreter before, during, and after their use. Provide one clear example for each tool. Conclude with a takeaway that connects the interpreter's professional responsibilities to the system's use of assessments and accommodations to support DHH students' thriving, given their unique developmental journey. Remember to add in-text citations and references (see below) as needed.]

STOP editing for Child Development.

Overarching Reflection

You may be tempted to go ahead and edit the overarching reflection right now (before Week 16)...Wait! If you reflect too early, you will just summarize what you've written above, which is what you have learned. Writing reflections later allows you to synthesize more learning across different parts of the course, make deeper connections, and see more of your growth in why it matters and how it impacts your work as an interpreter in schools.

START editing for the School Interpreting Website assignment (continue until "STOP editing for the School Interpreting Website")

[Add an overarching reflection, which is a high-level summary of your learning that goes beyond listing/summarizing what you have added to the page. It should demonstrate your understanding of the topic, why it matters in the context of interpreting in schools, and how it connects to the broader educational system and your current/future professional practice. The overarching reflection should address the "so what" and the "now what" of professional practice as an interpreter in schools. It's your reflection, so write using a personal voice. Use "I" statements, not the generic "the interpreter."

In your reflection, show that you are a systems-thinking interpreter, someone who considers the systems (its values, structures, and processes), its people (their roles and responsibilities, and their relationships), and its goal (access and success for students). Here are some possible and optional guiding questions for this Child Development page:

How does this page's content shape your understanding of what it means to work as an interpreter in schools?
- How does understanding typical child development influence the way you work in the classroom?
How has this learning influenced the way you see your responsibilities - both interpreting and non-interpreting - in schools?
- Why is it essential for you to recognize and adapt to learning differences and delays?
What assumptions and values about interpreting and interpreting in schools were challenged or reinforced through this content?
- How does child development intersect with access and equity in interpretations?
How might you use what you've learned from this page in your current/future professional practice?
- What developmental considerations must interpreters make when working with students at different ages? At different linguistic abilities?

Ensure that your reflection focuses on the theme of this page!

For this Child Development page, the focus is on developmental milestones, learning processes, and interpreting across age groups.]

STOP editing for the School Interpreting Website.

Reference

[Add reference list for source citations. Follow APA 7th edition.]

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