Written Word Recognition and Production Processes

Abstract

Expert reading and writing involve, among other knowledge processes, automatized word recognition and production. These processes are not learned and used globally. In fact, decades of research have shown that word recognition and production processes can be broken down into micro-processes that need to be addressed explicitly during reading and writing instruction. They involve, in particular, phonological, morphological, and visual-orthographic processes. After reviewing what word recognition and production processes are, the main research conclusions from studies conducted among populations of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) readers and writers are presented. Although most of these findings relate to phonological processing, the chapter illustrates the potential importance that other processes can play in DHH students’ abilities to recognize and produce written words. Finally, the chapter highlights the main challenges that DHH students face when learning to read and write, and it proposes some elements considered in the context of reading and writing instruction in order for teachers to help students overcome these difficulties.