The report describes the development of the Meadow/Kendall Social-Emotional Assessment Inventory for Deaf Students (SEAI). The SEAI has grown out of requirements in P.L. 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. The theoretical framework, including its emphasis on language deprivation and the resulting communication problems of deaf students, is examined. The SEAI's development is traced from item construction, field testing, and response processing. Norms are then established. Administration and scoring of the SEAI are detailed, and examples are provided. The conclusion cautions that the SEAI should be a part of an overall assessment procedure and suggests that the inventory may identify students who need extra attention in a particular area. The 59-item inventory is appended. (CL)