How Do You Help A Deaf Child Learn To Read?
Deafness is a handicap that affects hearing, not intellect. Deaf children are often eager to learn to read as it opens new worlds of exploration to them. Unlike children who hear the spoken word and use phonics as a method to learn to read, deaf children will relate words to corresponding visual items. Before a deaf child can learn to read, he must learn to identify common items through sign language and lip reading. These skills are imperative for early reading success. Start deaf children as soon as possible in pre-reading skills that will serve as the basis for reading in later years. A non-deaf infant is learning to identify objects at this age by listening to the way the word is pronounced. Teach a deaf child to identify the same objects and actions through a combination of signing and lip reading. This is an imperative pre-reading step. Increase your own sign language skills in order to teach a deaf child to read. The American Sign Language (ASL) standard form of signing provides
