Literacy and the role of parents of deaf children

Abstract

This study focuses on the involvement of parents in the reading development of their deaf children and gathers evidence on parental experiences of reading with their child at home. Of particular interest is the relationship between teachers and parents working as partners in establishing a literacy environment for deaf children. It is concluded that uncertainty in professional practice about methods of developing literacy in deaf children could be one of the reasons why confident support is not always offered to parents. Questionnaire data suggest that only a minority of parents in the study received advice from teachers on reading interaction strategies or on appropriate materials for home reading with their children. Although most of the parents in the study enjoyed reading with their children at home, there remained a large group of parents who expressed concern over obstacles encountered in the reading process and who were unclear about the most effective way to enable their deaf child to become literate. These problems are in fact similar to some of the difficulties experienced by teachers of the deaf during reading sessions. Some deaf children may be doubly disadvantaged by reading environments at home and at school which are less than facilitative. Some implications are drawn for both teacher training and research, for effective parent–teacher partnerships that lead to consistency and joint problem‐solving, whilst reference is made to previous studies which have highlighted the need for evidence‐based practice in promoting reading development in deaf children. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

Understanding the Diverse Literacy Needs of Profoundly Deaf Sign-Dominant Adults in Australia

“…Shared picture book reading, for example, is interactional and an important activity for the acquisition of both spoken and written language (Heineman-Gosschalk & Webster, 2003). This form of reading is structured and predictable for the child and forms a framework in which learning about text takes place-specifically, the provision of labels for the pictures-that adds to the child's vocabulary.…”

Treating Childhood Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities

“…Gioia (2001), however, found that although literacy practices were established in the homes, shared reading rituals between parents and their deaf children were not always established. Although parents enjoyed reading with their children who are deaf they experience obstacles in the reading process (Heinemann-Gosschalk & Webster, 2003). Mirenda and Erickson (2000) also explored the use of AAC in facilitating literacy in children with autism.…”