Call for papers

The Journal of Child Language (JCL) is seeking submissions for its upcoming special issue on 'Language development in deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children'.

This JCL special issue will focus on language development in all contexts of childhood deafness. It explicitly includes signed as well as spoken languages, as well as, children with any level of deafness (mild-profound), unilateral and bilateral, with and without hearing devices (e.g., hearing aids, cochlear implants). The issue welcomes contributions from all relevant theoretical, methodological, and relevant disciplines (e.g., sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, and neurolinguistics). The overarching aim is to advance our understanding of how language skills evolve in children who experience any kind of deafness. Papers which show how deafness provides insights into developmental mechanisms and broader issues in the field of language development will be desirable.

Guest editors

• Titia Benders, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands (a.t.benders@uva.nl)
• Gary Morgan, Open University of Catalunya, Spain (gmorgan0@uoc.edu)

Topics within scope

1. Developmental Trajectories: Studies of DHH children’s early communication, their development at any level of language structure (ranging from phonetics/phonology to pragmatics), individual differences in trajectories, and how levels of language relate to each other over development.
2. Language and Cognition: Investigations into how language development outcomes are related to or predictors of cognitive skills such as social cognition, executive function, memory, and reasoning throughout childhood.
3. Social and Educational Contexts: Analyses of the role of input and uptake, (peer) interaction and duration in fostering language development.
4. Multilingualism: Studies examining any aspect of DHH children’s language acquisition in a bi/multilingual context, including bimodalism.
5. Impact of Hearing Technology: Research on how hearing technologies relate to children’s language development.
6. Role of Literacy: Aspects of reading development will be considered where language is a primary outcome variable. 
7. Methodological Studies: Studies with a methodological focus will be considered where it is clear that they pave the way for advancing understanding of language development in this population specifically.

Exclusions from scope

1. Non-Language-Specific Studies: Research focusing on cognitive or social development without a clear focus on language is outside the scope.
2. Clinical Interventions: While studies on language disorders are within scope, articles that exclusively evaluate clinical interventions or treatments without broader implications for language development will not be included.
3. Animal Models: Work involving animal communication systems without direct human developmental relevance is excluded.

Goals of the special issue

The special issue seeks to provide a comprehensive perspective on language development in DHH children, addressing gaps in the literature and with particular emphasis on the diversity among deaf children.  In addition, we emphasise reflection on developmental mechanisms and how studies inform understanding of broader issues in the field of child language acquisition.

Timeline and deadline for submissions

• Call for papers: 1st September 2026
• Submission deadline: 31st January 2027
• Submission deadline for revised manuscripts: 30th June 2027
• Second review and final decision: July - August, 2027
• Publication: Autumn 2027.