How Do Deaf Children Learn About Prereading?

A three-level prereading model based on deaf children's early attempts at learning about prereading is proposed based on a 9-month longitudinal study. This model contends that reading can be initiated by giving deaf children opportunities to match their internalized manual language to printed words. The recommended procedures stress the use of joint reading-related activities involving parents, teachers, and peers. The classroom experiments and parental interviews provide evidence to support this prereading model. A developmental sequence is defined for deaf children based on the students' emergent prereading behaviors. Suggestions are also made for teachers and parents interested in promoting prereading in young deaf children.