Research about Deaf Children and Reading...ML2 EL2 Research about! Deaf Children! and Reading Dr. Thomas E. Allen! Dr. Melissa Herzig ASDC Annual Meeting, The Learning Center! June

ML2 EL2

Research about Deaf Children and ReadingDr. Thomas E. Allen Dr. Melissa Herzig

ASDC Annual Meeting, The Learning Center June 29, 2014

What is language? What is visual attention?

What is happening in the brain? Two languages?

What is the Mom doing to manage all this?

And what does this have to do with READING?

What is language?

Spoken English——Signed Language !

The same? Or Different

Phonology

Morphology/Syllabic structure Words

Meaningless building blocks

Syntax Sentences, phrases

Semantics Discourse

“Just like spoken languages, sign language phonology is concerned with the meaningless units (segments, syllables, features) of a linguistic system and how they combine via a set of rules or constraints to form meaningful units (morphemes, words, clauses).” (Diane Brentari, 2013)

We should focus on the similarities of languages, spoken or signed, and the processes that give rise to their mastery, and to the implications for reading, rather than on their differences. Their differences are that of modality.

Visual Sign PhonologySpoken Phonology

During the first year of life

Children are mastering the phonology of their language

(or the phonologies go their languages!)

and timing is important

What is Visual Attention?

..the ability to pay attention to things that are relevant to current goals, while

ignoring distractions that are not pertinent

Are deaf children “distractable?”

Just as with the acquisition of phonological awareness, the child’s ability to self-manage and

regulate their visual attention —-

Develops in infancy

Must be taught

Eye Gaze

Joint Visual Attention

Deaf and hearing: a different scenario

Three facts to consider—

1. Early language contributes to the development of visual attention skills (and vice versa)

2. Development of these skills in early infancy is Very Important! (The Critical Period Hypothesis.)

3. While deficits in self-regulation of visual attention and language may well lead to “distractability” in a

young deaf student, deaf children with normal language development (and this includes ASL) and

strong visual attention skills, will actually have A COGNITIVE ADVANTAGE.

It’s easy to see: .. early visual language can enhance early visual attention

What is happening in the brain?

Singleton, Bosworth, Corina, Dye, Eden, Hauser, Padden, Rayner Traxler

Early Visual Sensory Experiences

Different early visual sensory experiences alter the human brain and its functions

Increased visual sensory input can lead to Higher Cognitive processing advantages

new fNIRS system

Different areas of the brain are engaged at different periods of development.

This is particularly true for language.

Thus, there is an area of the brain that is engaged when babies are processing PHONOLOGICAL information. There is a peak

sensitivity for this between the ages of birth to3.

But here’s the most amazing part!!

The areas of the brain that are engaged when hearing babies are processing sound-based phonological information are

EXACTLY THE SAME areas that are engaged when deaf babies are processing visual-based sign

phonology.

Two Languages?

All Early-Exposed Bilingual & Monolingual Longitudinal Milestones are the Same

Babbling!

~6 months,!

Hands or Tongue!

First Vocabulary!

First Signs, or First Words!

~12mths!

!

First Sentences!

2-Sign, or 2-Word combinations!

~18mths!

Pe#$o&et&al.,&2001,&J"of"Child"Lang&&Pe#$o&et&al.,&2001,&Science&Pe#$o&et&al.,&2002,&Nature"

Testing the “speech is special” hypothesis

Maturation of hearing and speaking mechanisms does not determine the

milestones and structure of early language acquisition

Bilingual exposure benefits monolinguals

Cognitive Benefits !

Metalinguistic Awareness !

Enhanced executive functions: problem solving, attention control, task switching, & more!

+

25Davidson, Lillo-Martin, Chen-Pichler, 2014

Early bilingual exposure does not block the development of speech

but, late exposure may impair language and cognitive development

What does this have to do with READING?

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visual phonologycat

phones

phonemes

orthography

rhythmic & temporal

nucleus

syllable

structure

mouth

articulatory

gestures

pronunciation

patterns

etc.

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cat cat

sign phones

sign

phonemesorthography

rhythmic & temporal

nucleus

syllable

structure

hand

articulatory

gestures

fingerspelling

etc.

phones

phonemes

orthography

rhythmic & temporal

nucleus

syllable

structure

mouth

articulatory

gestures

pronunciation

patterns

etc.







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visual phonology

sound phonology

universal level of language organization

same neural sites/systems

It is a well established fact that, among signing adults, ASL is correlated with

reading ability.

What are the origins of these correlations?

The better adult deaf readers who sign report being exposed to ASL

before starting school.

Among deaf preschoolers, early literacy skills are demonstrated by

those with better signing skills, mediated by fingerspelling skills.

Age

ASL Skill

Letter Writing Skill

Fingerspelling Skill

ASL Receptive Skills

Correlations for children with signing parents-

either deaf or hearing

Lette

r writ

ing-

tota

l cor

rect

Hearing- Signers Deaf Signers

Deaf- non-signers

You dont have to be a deaf parent to have a positive influence through signing

What is the Mom doing?

Resources for Parents

Strategic Focus Area 4: Breakthrough Translation

Melissa Herzig, Education and Research Translation Manager (SFA 4 Leader) Melissa Malzkuhn,

Digital Innovation & Media Strategies Manager

Erica Wilkins, Cara Keith, & Andrea Sonnier Wei Wang

Yiqiao Wang Lauren Benedict

Translational Products

Published Bilingual Storybook App Designed for Deaf Children Based on Research Principles in Intl J of Adv Computer Science !Current Studies Usability Study Instructional Guide- Lesson Plans ASL Development Bridging ASL-English Languages Word Study Guidelines for Reading Baobab with students

The Baobab, An Award-Winning Bilingual Reading Storybook App!

VL2 Storybook Apps

Storybook Creator Program

Distribution 600+ copies !

Website

8,437+ hits !

Current Research Usability Study

Parent Information Package

VL2 Parent Information

Package (2013) !

Led by Kristen Harmon, Ph.D. VL2 Manager of Center Impact

on Education & Creation/Distribution of Innovations

www.VL2storybookapps.com

www.VL2StorybookCreator.com

www.MotionLightLab.com

Email: [email protected]

www.VL2ParentsPackage.org

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Research about Deaf Children and Reading...ML2 EL2 Research about! Deaf Children! and Reading Dr. Thomas E. Allen! Dr. Melissa Herzig ASDC Annual Meeting, The Learning Center! June