Illinois Creates Statewide Language Assessment Program For Young Children Who Are Deaf, Hard Of Hearing, Or Deafblind

Illinois enacted a law creating a statewide program to assess and monitor language development among young children who are deaf, hard of hearing, or deafblind. House Bill (HB) 1783 establishes language-development milestones and assessments intended to identify children who are not making age-appropriate progress and connect those findings to early intervention and education planning. Governor JB Pritzker signed the legislation on July 30, 2026, and it took effect immediately. Language assessments are scheduled to begin July 1, 2028.

The program is intended to identify language-development delays before children enter school and will be led by the Illinois . . .