THE QUALITATIVE SIMILARITY HYPOTHESIS: A COMMENTARY

Abstract

This article provides a summary of the historical background and basic tenets of the Qualitative Similarity Hypothesis (QSH), which has been applied to explore the language and literacy acquisition of d/Deaf and hard of hearing (d/Dhh) children and adolescents in the United States (and elsewhere, for example, South Korea and Saudi Arabia). The QSH is a developmental similarity model, influenced by the early investigations on language and literacy development of children with developmental/intellectual/cognitive or learning/language disabilities. It is argued that the acquisition of English (or any other phonemic language) by d/Deaf and hard of hearing children or other children in Special Education programs is developmentally or qualitatively similar to that of typical (non-disabled) language and literacy learners. This is also the case for second language learners of English, often labeled English language learners. The QSH can be used to provide indirect support for inclusive education programs and strong direct support for access to the general education curriculum.