Overview
The Assessing Auslan Development tool was developed in 2016 by VDEI in partnership with Professor Adam Schembri and La Trobe University.
Professor Schembri is currently Reader in Linguistics in the Department of English Language & Linguistics at the University of Birmingham, UK. His research and teaching experience have encompassed several areas in sign language linguistics, including work on aspects of the lexicon, grammar and sociolinguistics of Auslan (Australian Sign Language) and British Sign Language.
The Assessing Auslan Development tool is the first standardised assessment tool to be developed for Auslan and has been adapted from the Assessing British Sign Language Development: Receptive Skills and Production Skills Tests.
The assessment tool is designed to measure the Auslan competence of children aged between 4 and 11 years who use Auslan as a primary mode of communication or who are learning Auslan as a second language.
Analysis of assessment results enables professionals working with deaf children to make a baseline assessment, identify language difficulties, and evaluate the outcomes of therapy programs. The results of the testing provide detailed information to teachers to inform their individual planning for deaf students in their class to ensure that they are providing the appropriate adjustments for learning.
Training for the Assessing Auslan Development tool is targeted to educators and allied health professionals who are fluent in Auslan and are experienced in working with assessment protocols.
Training
Training for the Assessing Auslan Development tool is targeted at educators and allied health professionals who are fluent in Auslan and are experienced in working with assessment protocols. Assessors must have successfully completed a certified training course in the use of the test.
A two-day training program provides an opportunity for educators and allied professionals who are fluent in Auslan and are experienced in working with assessment protocols, to be accredited to use the Assessing Auslan Development tool.
Assessors of the Assessing Auslan Development tool must demonstrate native or near-native proficiency in Auslan at least equivalent to the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters (NAATI) paraprofessional interpreter level. The assessor’s fluency in Auslan is important in ensuring that the child’s language sample is representative of their expressive language level.
Training opportunities are scheduled periodically, with details shared on this website.
For further information please contact VDEI at vdei@education.vic.gov.au
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