Publication Type

Book Chapter

Recommended Citation

Connor, C., & Greenberg, J. (2020). Prevailing Theories of Reading Development and Deafness. In S. R. Easterbrooks & H. M. Dostal (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Deaf Studies in Literacy. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197508268.013.5

Abstract

Understanding how children learn to read and become proficient readers has been facilitated by models of reading developed over the past three decades. These include, among others, the Simple View of Reading, the lexical quality hypothesis, and the lattice model. These models have shaped effective reading interventions for children with typical hearing and have implications for understanding dyslexia and dysgraphia. Importantly, they can provide insights into why many children who are deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) have so much trouble learning to read and write. This chapter uses the lattice model of reading development to illustrate where DHH children may encounter barriers to learning to read and how such barriers might be overcome. The lattice model proposes that reciprocal and interacting effects of linguistic processes, text-specific processes, instruction, and cognitive, social, and regulatory processes all contribute to children’s reading development. Included is a discussion of a new version of the lattice model that has been adapted to support the research findings for children who are DHH.