The Importance of Early Sign Language Acquisition for Deaf Readers

The Challenge of Learning to Read Written English for the Profoundly Pre-lingually Deaf Adult

“…Another possible confound is that the participants in the study spanned three generations and as a result probably experienced different forms of reading instruction which may have impacted on their phoneme awareness and subsequent reading scores. It may also be that the age at which the participants had access to visual language might explain differences in reading proficiency rather than phonological processing deficits (Clark et al 2016). Indeed, as it is likely that most of the participants would have learned sign language as a second language, if at all, spoken language was probably maintained as their primary conduit for thinking, an outcome in line with the 'primary language hypothesis' (Shand 1982, Miller 2007.…”

“…There have been some studies demonstrating, that for deaf children, reading and writing ability was not based solely on their detailed knowledge of spoken English but rather their knowledge of the juxtaposition of ASL and English. Indeed, significant relationships have been reported between the use of initialized signs and reading for users of the North American one-handed alphabet (Clark et al 2016. However, there is scarce research regarding whether Australian Sign Language (Auslan) can effectively be used to process written words.…”

“…As well as being intimately linked to employment opportunities written English is frequently the only way they have to communicate with their hearing counterparts. The challenge of reading and understanding written text is seen by some as being linked to their profound hearing loss, language difficulties and some instructional practices (Clark et al 2016, Herrera-Fernandez, PuenteFerreras & Alvarado-Izquierdo 2014, Paul 2002. Profoundly deaf childrens' literacy skills generally lag behind their hearing peers (Rudner et al 2015) and so a reading delay of six to eight years is not unexpected by the time they graduate high school (Mayberry, del Giudice & Lieberman 2010).…”

Is the Right to Access to the Services and Supports Ensured for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children? An Ethnographic Study Based on the Experience of Hearing Parents

“…During the last decades, the access to early intervention programs and educational services has been considered vital for the healthy development of deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children [7]. In fact, after being diagnosed, DHH children and their parents are usually involved in several health, rehabilitation, and educational services that vary according to the mode of communication chosen and the use of sensory devices.…”

The Importance of Grammar Teaching at College

“…Clark hods that listening both comprehends the surface structure of a sentence and the deep meaning of the sentence (Clark, 2008). Listeners could understand the meaning of the materials through some surface structure such as pronunciation, words, grammar and then comprehend and digest the whole information, thus producing an effective communication.…”