Predictors of reading development in deaf children : a three year longitudinal

The development of reading ability in a group of deaf children was followed over a three year period. 29 deaf children, aged 7-8 years old at the first assessment, participated in the study and every 12 months they were given a battery of literacy, cognitive and language based tasks. Earlier vocabulary and speechreading skills predicted longitudinal growth in reading achievement. The relations between reading and the predictor variables showed developmental change. Earlier reading ability was related to later phonological awareness skills, suggesting that deaf children might develop their phonological awareness through reading. Deaf children who had the most age-appropriate reading skills tended to have less severe hearing losses, earlier diagnoses and preferred to communicate through speech. The theoretical implications of the role for speechreading, vocabulary and phonological awareness in deaf children’s literacy are discussed.