Reading Fluency Skills in Young Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

• In Event: Language and Literacy Descriptions and Interventions From the Center on Literacy and Deafness

Abstract

Objectives
This study describes the reading fluency characteristics of a pool of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children (N=327) in kindergarten through second grade who were being educated across a variety of placements (e.g., self-contained, inclusion) and communication modalities (spoken English, sign-only, and combined). Similarities and differences in fluency skills are examined in relations to placements and modalities. Implications for language and literacy instruction are suggested.
Theoretical Perspective
Much has been speculated regarding the importance of language modality in DHH children’s acquisition of language and literacy (Connor, Hieber, Arts, & Zwolan, 2000; Mayer & Akamatsu, 2000; Power & Leigh, 2000). Recent work from the Center on Literacy and Deafness (Lederberg et al, 2015) has pointed to language as being a key underlying construct in reading growth across placements and modalities. In addition, skill in one language contributes to skill in the other. As part of the Center on Literacy and Deafness (CLAD) assessment protocol, children were administered a battery of language and literacy assessments that included two assessments of fluency: one a running record of a spoken reading sample, the other an assessment rubric of signed reading fluency.
Methodology and Data Sources
Children were classified as using spoken language, sign-only, or combined modalities based on the CLAD protocol (Antia, Lederberg, Easterbrooks, Schick, & Kushalnagar, 2014) and were administered either three graded reading paragraphs, which were recorded and later rated using a running record adapted from the Basic Reading Inventory (Johns, 2012), or the Signed Reading Fluency Rubric for Deaf Children (Easterbrooks & Huston, 2008). In a sample of 110 DHH students previously reported (Easterbrooks, Gremp, Creamer, Huston, & Schick, 2014), basic fluency (based on the number of graded reading paragraphs successfully completed) correlated highly with multiple measures of language and literacy (see Table 1). Additional correlations with existing language (TACL) and literacy (WJIII Letter-Word Identification and Passage Comprehension) data from the CLAD pool will be shared relative to this deeper analysis of DHH children’s fluency skills.
Results
At the time of this writing we had analyzed the data on 54 of the participants (44 Spoken Language; 10 Sign Language). Analysis of data on all participants will be presented in the symposium. To date we have found:
• Stable individual differences in rate (time) and accuracy (Correct Words per Minute) from fall to spring assessment of fluency.
• Fall scores predicted spring scores for rate, accuracy, and comprehension; children do improve.
• Common errors: omissions, insertions, semantic meaning changes; the biggest improvement from fall to spring was in reduction of omissions
Significance
The ability to read fluently is clearly related to language and reading comprehension. The role of reading fluency in DHH children has been poorly studied, thus, practitioners have little guidance on how to intervene and in what areas. Very few studies have examined the nature of the fluency errors DHH students make, especially those students who use sign language. This study contributes significantly to the knowledge base in the area of the reading fluency of DHH children.

Authors

• Susan Easterbrooks, Georgia State University

• Kathy Sterwerf-Jackson, Center on Literacy and Deafness