Early Childhood Education CSD (Fremont)
CSD Fremont has a video with different strategies to use during reading to a child. A grandma was reading to her four-year-old grandson. Below, is a list of 15 principles for reading to Deaf children (also can be used with CODA with ASL). There is also a link under the principles explained in ASL and additional examples.
(Hearing Families) Why Reading to your Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Child(ren) is Important
Dr. Leala Holcomb, an expert in Deaf education and literacy, says that all children — hearing and deaf — need the experience of being read to by a caring adult.
In this video, Dr. Holcomb offers lots of tips for making the experience fun and full of learning, including these: use your most expressive reading voice, bring your child’s attention to key English words, explain the differences between similar English words, talk about English words that have more than one meaning, point out changes in font size and punctuation and talk about what it means, and switch back and forth between English and ASL.
And don’t worry if you are still learning to sign — your enthusiasm will be contagious!
Presented by Dr. Leala Holcomb
David R. Schleper outlines 15 principles for adults to use when reading to deaf and hard of hearing children. The research is based on what deaf parents do when reading to their deaf and hard of hearing children. The deaf parents:
Translate stories using American Sign Language. Focus on concepts and use lots of fingerspelling.
Keep both languages (ASL and English) visible. Make sure children see both the signing and the words and pictures.
Elaborate on the text. Add explanations about the text to make it more understandable.
Reread stories on a "storytelling" to a "story reading" continuum. The first few times, make sure the child understands the story. Then, slowly, focus more and more on the text.
Follow the child's lead. What does the child want to read? What if the child wants to read just one part of a book, then move to another? Follow the child.
Make what is implied explicit. Make the hidden meaning clear.
Adjust sign placement to fit the story. Sometimes sign on the page. Sometimes sign on the child. And sometimes sign in the usual place.
Adjust the signing style to fit the story. Be dramatic. Play with the signs and exaggerate facial expressions to show different characters.
Connect concepts in the story to the real world. Relate the characters to real events.
Use attention maintenance strategies. Tap lightly on your child's shoulder, or give a gentle nudge to keep his or her attention.
Use eye gaze to elicit participation. Look at the child while reading.
Engage in role-playing to extend concepts. Act out the story after you have read it.
Use ASL variations to sign repetitive English phrases. If you are using the same phrase over and over, vary the signs.
Provide a positive and reinforcing environment. Encourage the child to share ideas about the story and support the child's ideas.
Expect the child to become literate. Believe in the child's success and read, read, read!
You can also watch 15 principles videos with examples (in ASL and voice interpreted) @