Early BSL Development








The BSL CDI project is now finished, see latest news for an update.

This website is fully accessible for British Sign Language users
Click on the BSL icon to display a BSL version.

Welcome to the
Early British Sign Language Development website

With the recognition of the importance of early intervention work with deaf children, there is a strong need for data about the early natural developmental stages of BSL. We are studying early BSL learning: first signs, first sentences, handshape development, expression of emotion etc.

This website is designed to enable the general public and other researchers to know more about our work. It is also a resource for the parents of the children involved in our work

As we do more projects, there will be further pages added on this website and it will be developed further.

Please do feel free to contact us with questions via the contact page

Best wishes

Professor Bencie Woll, Dr Rosalind Herman and Dr Gary Morgan

Cartoon of Psychologists and a deaf baby

The MacArthur-Bates CDI Project is part of the “Positive support in the lives of deaf children and their families” project.

This project is a collaboration between the University of Manchester and University College London, in partnership with Deafness Research UK (the Hearing Research Trust) and the National Deaf Children's Society. The project is funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund –
see www.positivesupport.info for details.

If you are a parent with a deaf child aged under 3yr. please visit the project website at www.positivesupport.info to find out how your child could be part of this important project.