Abstract: The Study of Language and Math (SLaM) project examines how language modality (signed vs. spoken) and the timing of language access (from birth vs. later) shape cognitive development. While home language environment influences development in all children, deaf and hard-of-hearing children show especially wide variation in language experience. Across a range of tasks, including language-dependent measures (e.g., vocabulary) and measures considered less dependent on language (e.g., object tracking, standardized nonverbal tests), the timing of language access was a better predictor of variability than modality was. These findings highlight the need to disentangle and de-confound deafness from language access in research design. They also refine theoretical accounts of how language supports development across domains, and underscore a practical and ethical imperative: early, accessible language is critical for optimal cognitive development.
Bio:
Dr. Marie Coppola is a Professor of Psychological Sciences (Developmental Program) and Linguistics at the University of Connecticut, where her research examines how language experience shapes cognitive development in deaf and hard-of-hearing children and other populations with atypical language access. Her research program, which also investigates an emerging sign language and homesign languages in Nicaragua, has been funded by NSF and NIH. From 2023 to 2025 she served as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science and Technology Policy Fellow at the National Science Foundation, where her portfolio included accessibility for scientists with disabilities and public access and open science. She is the founder and executive director of Signs and Smiles, a nonprofit organization that advocates for early access to language and education for deaf and hard-of-hearing children globally. Signs and Smiles has developed smartphone applications in Nicaraguan Sign Language and Mexican Sign Language to facilitate communication between hearing parents and their deaf children.