The production of sign language structural elements in narratives by children acquiring Finnish Sign Language

Storytelling is an excellent way to assess children’s language skills because it allows for a comprehensive assessment of their linguistic and cognitive skills. Narrative skills reflect both grammatical language skills and the ability to use language in situationally appropriate ways. In this study, we examined the narrative skills of 94, deaf and hearing children, aged 4–11 years, who were acquiring Finnish Sign Language (FinSL), with a focus on their ability to produce various FinSL structural elements. The data collection and analysis were performed using the FinSL Narrative Skills Production Test (FinSL-PT), which is used to evaluate the production of depicting signs, indicating signs, modification of aspect and manner, and constructed action. The results revealed a clear correlation between age and the production of FinSL structures, with no individual structural element developing first. Instead, the different structures emerged at a similar pace. This study provides the first reference for understanding FinSL narrative development in children.