Kesher - Language Assessment and Intervention Programs for Children with Special Educational Needs and Their Families

Kesher is a research and development project founded in 1988 that operates at the Tel Aviv University School of Education and is directed by Professor Esther Dromi, a developmental psycholinguist who studies early language development and language impairments in Hebrew speaking children. During its initial phase, Kesher specialized in the development of language assessment and intervention programs for deaf children and their families. Kesher programs are based on psycholinguistic theories of language development by typically developing children, and on available findings about language disorders in children. Kesher is a homonym in Hebrew that carries several meanings, including: connection, relatedness, a message, a tie or bond. Since 1990, Kesher programs have been implemented in all preschool programs for deaf children in Israel. Kesher's research and development team includes experienced language clinicians and certified teachers of the deaf, as well as graduate students in special education and education for individuals with hearing impairment at Tel Aviv University. This team develops and experimentally tests language assessment tools, various language intervention procedures, and learning materials for children with special needs, as well as instructional materials for parents, teachers, and language clinicians.