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. 2023 Mar 9;32(2):629-644.
doi: 10.1044/2022_AJSLP-22-00169. Epub 2023 Feb 7.

A Longitudinal Investigation of Code-Related Emergent Literacy Skills in Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing Across the Preschool Years

Krystal L Werfel  1 , Gabriella Reynolds  1 , Lisa Fitton  1
Affiliations

A Longitudinal Investigation of Code-Related Emergent Literacy Skills in Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing Across the Preschool Years

Krystal L Werfel et al. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. .

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this longitudinal investigation was to compare the developmental trajectories of code-related emergent literacy skills of children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) who use amplification and spoken language across the preschool years.

Method: Thirty children who are DHH and 31 children with typical hearing completed a language and emergent literacy assessment at 6-month intervals from age 4 through 6 years. Growth curve analysis was used to compare developmental trajectories between groups of the code-related skills of phonological awareness, phonological memory, phonological recoding, alphabet knowledge, and conceptual print knowledge.

Results: Growth across the preschool years was observed on all code-related emergent literacy skills across groups. Children who are DHH scored consistently lower than children with typical hearing on phonological awareness, phonological memory, and conceptual print knowledge; no group differences were observed for phonological recoding or alphabet knowledge. No interactions of time and group were significant.

Conclusions: Children who are DHH exhibit consistent deficits in phonological awareness, phonological memory, and conceptual print knowledge across the preschool years and begin formal literacy instruction with a weaker foundation in emergent literacy skills. Future work should focus on optimizing emergent literacy interventions for children who are DHH during the preschool years.

Supplemental material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21998153.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Comparison of growth in phonological processing skills across groups. CHL = children who are deaf and hard of hearing; CNH = children with typical hearing.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Comparison of growth in print knowledge skills across groups. CHL = children who are deaf and hard of hearing; CNH = children with typical hearing.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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