Shared Book Reading for Children Who Are DHH (Farquharson & Babeu, 2020)

Abstract

Purpose: Parents of children who are deaf or hard ofhearing (DHH) often report difficulty engaging their childrenin successful reading experiences. Shared book reading(SBR) is associated with many aspects of language growthfor children who are deaf and hard of hearing. The primarypurpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effectiveness of a 4-week training program in improving caregiver knowledge of emergent literacy features and SBR practices for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.Method: Three caregivers with infants or toddlers who wereDHH attended a 4-week SBR training. Each week focusedon a specific language or literacy construct taught withinthe context of a picture storybook. Pre- and posttestquestionnaires were used to assess caregivers’ knowledgeof SBR and early literacy. An additional follow-up questionnaire was completed to rate self-perceived changes in confidence levels and overall satisfaction with the training.Results: All caregivers made gains in knowledge of sharedbook reading practices. Caregivers reported increased confidence in their ability to implement SBR practices at home with their child who was DHH. Caregivers also shared important insight regarding ways in which this pilot program can be improved for the future.Conclusions: This study contributes to the field bydetermining that knowledge gains and increasedconfidence can result from a brief caregiver training, aswell as providing suggestive feedback for future trainingsof this nature. Our supplemental materials include thePowerPoint files that were used for this training. Earlyidentification of young children who are DHH and theprovision of appropriate amplification or hearing technology,such as hearing aids or cochlear implants, has given children greater access to oral language. Early provision of services may provide families the support they need to become actively involved in promoting their child’s linguisticdevelopment (Moeller, 2000). Family involvement, inthe form of parent–child reading, has led to gains withinreceptive and expressive vocabulary, narrative skills, andlater reading comprehension for children who are deafor hard of hearing (DHH; Ezell et al., 2000; Hargrave S Zevenbergen & Whitehurst, 2003). Thepurpose of this pilot study was to examine the extentto which a 4-week SBR training influences caregiverknowledge of important early literacy concepts andresults in increased confidence levels in caregivers ofinfants and toddlers who are DHH.Supplemental Material S1. Building early literacy skills at home.Supplemental Material S2. Providing feedback during dialogic reading.Supplemental Material S3. Enhancing your child’s print knowledge during shared book reading.Supplemental Material S4. Picking books and supporting your child during reading.Farquharson, K., & Babeu, C. (2020). Examining caregiver knowledge of shared book reading Practices for infantsand toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing: A pilot study. Advance online publication. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups. https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_PERSP-19-00071