DEAF SIGNING CHILDREN’S COMMUNICATION & SOCIAL INTERACTION CHECKLIST
(DSC-CSIC) REVISED VERSION
The questionnaire has been updated to increase its sensitivity for this group of
children. Parents, clinicians and researchers can fill in this questionnaire and then
either:

email the completed version (without any personal identifying data) to
dcal@ucl.ac.uk with the subject ‘DSC-CSIC’ or

send a paper copy marked ‘DSC-CSIC’ to
DCAL, 49 Gordon Square,
London.
WC1H 0PD
The proposed age range for children is 3 – 19 years; however, it is important that the
questionnaire only be completed for children who can produce utterances longer
than single signs: simple sentences in sign language or in a mixture of speech and
signing.
When the authors have received a sufficient number of completed questionnaires,
further statistical analysis will be carried out in order to enable the questionnaire to
be standardized so that it can be used as a screening assessment in a range of
educational and clinical settings. This in turn will make an important contribution to
the diagnostic process for this group of complex deaf children. Thank you for your
help.
For further information, please contact dcal@ucl.ac.uk
This form was completed by:-
(Parent/s):
(Other): (specify role
(Date):……………………………………………..
Background information
Child
Gender (male/female):
Date of birth: …………………………………
What is the child’s hearing loss? Profound/ moderate/ mild/ bilateral/ unilateral
(please circle or underline)
How old was the child when you found out s/he was deaf? ………………………….
Does s/he wear hearing-aids?
Yes / no / some of the time
(please circle or underline)
If yes, at what age did s/he first wear hearing-aids? …………………………………….
Does s/he use cochlear implant/s (CI’s)?
Yes / no / some of the time
If s/he does have CI’s, please provide the following information including age and date(s) of
surgery:

unilateral (one): :......................................

bilateral (two):..........................................

sequential e.g. one CI followed by a 2nd :.........................................
Any other information (e.g. were the CI’s re-inserted/replaced for any reason)?.....................
...................................................................................................................................................
How old was the child when s/he first was exposed to signing?...…………….
How long ago was this?
Where and from whom did the child learn signing? ………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
How would you describe the child’s signing?

basic, e.g. uses one/two signs at a time

moderate, e.g. uses simple sentences/questions

good, e.g. able to sign longer sentences
Please give more details if possible: …………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
How fluent is the child’s signing?.............................………………….………….
..............................................................................................................................
Is the child disabled or do they have a long-term illness? ……………..……………….
If yes, please describe:
..............................…………………………………………………………………………...
You
Your relationship to the child: …………………………………………………………….
Are you hearing or deaf?
You: ……………..
Your partner (if applicable)*: ..……………….......
Is English the language used most at home?
Yes / No
If no, which language/s are used?
.........……………………………………………………….................................................
How do you and other family members communicate with the child?
………….......................................................... .......................................................
If you work with the child, how do you communicate with them?...............................
Who taught you to sign? …………………………………………….............
………………………………………………………………………………………………
(If the parent) what age was the child when you started to learn to sign?.......
How long ago was this?........... ……………………………….
Please describe the level and fluency of your signing................................
……………………………………………………………………….....................................
Other family members e.g. partner: ........................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
(If a person working with the child e.g. teacher) please provide information about
your level of signing :...................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................
Thank you. Now please turn to the next page and complete the checklist.
This checklist contains statements describing some of the ways your child
may communicate. For each statement, you are asked to put a number
that matches how your child communicates, for example: 0 Less than once a week
1 At least once a week, but not every day
2 Once or twice a day
3 More than twice a day (or always)
X Definitely unable to answer
For example, you might rate item 1 like this:“Appears nervous in the company of other children” Score of 2 ie “once or
twice a day”.
If you find it hard to make up your mind, think over the last week, and try
to remember how often you have observed your child behaving or
communicating in this way.
Please try to score all of the items, but if you are unable to answer, put
an x against that item.
A space has been left after the rating so that you can write comments, or
give examples if you want to. The items have been set out into 7 “blocks”
so that you can pause between sections if you wish.
Statements
1.
Looks worried when s/he is with other children
2.
With known adults seems to daydream, or look “far-away”
3.
Is babied, teased, or bullied by other children
4.
Is left out of shared activities by other children
5.
Talks about his/her friends - shows interest in what they do and say
6.
Hurts or upsets other children without meaning to
7.
Shows concern/looks worried when other people are upset
8.
Signs about lists of things s/he knows, eg the names of cars or video games
9.
Moves the conversation to a favourite topic, even if others don’t seem
interested in it
10.
Reacts well when you suggest a new activity or game s/he hasn’t played
before
11.
When asked what s/he wants to do, chooses the same favourite activity, eg
watches a specific video cartoon
12.
Shows interest in things or activities that most people would find unusual,
such as traffic lights, maps or timetables
Rating
Comments
13.
Surprises people by some of his/her signs; uses more advanced or skilled
signs than you’d expect for his/her age
14.
Shows flexibility when something changes, eg does not get upset if s/he
planned to play on the computer and it breaks down, and s/he has to do
something else
15.
Signs repeatedly about things that no-one is interested in
16.
Signs to people too easily, eg starts up a conversation with a stranger
without any encouragement
17.
Signs to others about what they are interested in, and not just about
his/her own interests
18.
It’s difficult to stop him/her from signing; s/he doesn’t give anyone else a
chance to join in the conversation
19.
Tells people things they know already
20.
Asks a question again, even though s/he has been given the answer
21.
Doesn’t keep interrupting when someone else is trying to have a
conversation or is trying to concentrate on something else
22.
Can be difficult to know if s/he is signing about something real or is making
it up
23.
Gets the sequence of events muddled up when trying to tell a story or
describe what has happened, eg might sign about the end before the
beginning
24.
Doesn’t explain what s/he is signing about to someone who doesn’t share
his/her experiences, eg might sign about “Mark” without explaining who he
is
25.
Explains something that happened clearly, eg what s/he did at school, or
what happened at a football game
26.
Your child signs well for his/her age, but you find it difficult to understand
what s/he is signing about
27.
Would have difficulty explaining to a younger child the rules of a simple
game like “Snap” or “Dominoes”
28.
Signs clearly about what s/he plans to do in the future, eg in the holidays
29.
Gives too much detail in conversation, eg when asked: “When did you go on
holiday?” may give the exact date, eg “12th August, 2002”
30.
Repeats things s/he has seen an adult sign
without understanding them
31.
Repeats back what others have just signed, eg if you ask: “What did you
eat?” s/he might sign “What did I eat?”
32.
Often uses favourite phrases/sentences which look out of place
33.
Will often turn the conversation to what s/he wants to sign about
34.
When answering a question, provides enough information without giving
too much detail
35.
You can have an enjoyable and interesting conversation with him/her
36.
Misses the point of jokes, but may find slapstick humour funny
37.
Realises the need to be polite, eg would pretend to be pleased if given a
presents/he did not really like, and would not make personal/rude
comments about strangers
38.
Understands only one or two signs you have used in a sentence, and so
often misunderstands what is signed
39.
Interprets what you say in a factual way. For example, s/he thinks: “The
bus has gone” means “The bus has vanished!”
40.
May cope better communicating with a familiar adult than with a group of
children
41.
Gets into trouble because s/he doesn’t always understand the rules for
polite behaviour – people may think s/he is rude or strange
42.
Appreciates irony or sarcasm, eg would find it funny if you signed:
“beautiful weather” when it was raining
43.
Doesn’t use facial expressions in the way most children do, eg when angry,
afraid or happy s/he doesn’t show this
44.
Stands too close to other people when signing to them
45.
Smiles appropriately when signing to people.
46.
Ignores people when they try to make conversation, and carries on with
what s/he is doing, even when the person tries to get his/her attention.
47.
Doesn’t often start up a conversation, or give information about what has
happened, eg at school
48.
Your child knows when others are upset or angry
49.
Does not look at the person s/he is signing to and may seem to avoid eye
contact on purpose
If you have any further comments you would like to make, please use the space below.