ASL Linguistics Lecture Series: Naomi Caselli

The ASL Program at the Department of Linguistics proudly presents Naomi Caselli, Associate Professor at Boston University. Dr. Caselli will present on "ASL Vocabulary Acquisition". This talk addresses four central questions in research on deaf children’s language acquisition: (1) Can children with hearing parents develop age-expected sign language vocabularies? (2) How do parent sign language skills relate to child vocabulary outcomes? (3) Does learning sign language interfere with spoken language development? and (4) Does early access to sign language support long-term academic achievement? These questions are at the center of longstanding debates in deaf education, with significant implications for families, educators, and policymakers. Drawing on recent population-level studies and emerging tools such as the ASL-CDI 2.0, this presentation situates these issues within the broader evidence base on language deprivation, access, and development. Naomi Caselli, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at Boston University, where she co-directs the Deaf Center and leads the AI & Education Initiative. Her research examines how early language experiences shape deaf children’s development, with a focus on sign languages, language acquisition, and accessibility through artificial intelligence. She is internationally recognized for creating open-access sign language databases that support research and education. ASL/English interpretation will be provided.