Mi-Young Webb|Amy R. Lederberg|Lee Branum?Martin|Carol McDonald Connor
Evaluating the Structure of Early English Literacy Skills in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children
Georgia State University|Georgia State University|Georgia State University|Arizona State University
better understanding mechanisms underlying developing literacy promoted development effective reading interventions typically developing children knowledge may facilitate effective instruction deaf hardofhearing dhh children hence current study examined multivariate associations among phonological awareness alphabetic knowledge word reading vocabulary skills dhh children auditory access speech one hundred sixtyseven dhh children mage 6043 months assessed battery early literacy measures fortysix percent used least 1 cochlear implant 54 fitted hearing aids fourth sample acquiring spoken english sign scores standardized tests phonological awareness vocabulary averaged least 1 standard deviation sd mean hearing norming sample confirmatory factor analyses showed dhh childrens early literacy skills best characterized complex 3factor model phonological awareness alphabetic knowledge vocabulary formed 3 separate highly correlated constructs lettersound knowledge word reading skills relating phonological awareness alphabetic knowledge supports hypothesis early reading dhh children functional hearing qualitatively similar hearing children