Deaf Children's Number Mapping Skills: Later Language Exposure, Not Deafness, Explains Delays

• In Event: Research on the Education of Deaf Persons

Abstract

Deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) children have historically been reported to underperform relative to typically hearing children in mathematics; however, limited research has evaluated the role of language. This study asked whether the modality and timing of children’s language exposure influence D/HH children’s skill of ‘mapping’— the ability to rapidly translate among number representations (e.g., number words, Arabic numerals, dot arrays). Contrary to arguments that deafness itself delays mathematical abilities, D/HH children exposed to ASL from birth performed the same as hearing children exposed to spoken English from birth and better than D/HH children with delayed language exposure. Therefore, early access to language is critical for mapping, an essential foundation of mathematical development.

Authors

• Kristin Walker, University of Connecticut - Storrs

• Emily Carrigan, University of North Carolina - Greensboro.

• Marie Coppola, University of Connecticut