Reading and Writing Process in Hearing Impairment: Interactive Book Reading
Families of children with hearing impairment frequently express that their children show little interest in books during the preschool or primary school years, or that they have difficulty making sense of the stories they read or listen to. Reading or listening to a book from cover to cover does not necessarily mean that the child has truly understood the events in the story. Especially when laying the foundation for literacy skills in individuals with hearing impairment, strategies that actively engage the child in the process are needed rather than traditional, passive reading methods.
The Reading and Writing Module of support education programs prepared in accordance with the standards of the Ministry of National Education aims to enable individuals with hearing impairment to achieve success in early literacy, initial reading and writing, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension skills. One of the most powerful tools for reaching these goals is the interactive book reading method.
What Is Interactive Book Reading and Why Is It Important?
Having a parent read a picture book together with their child is a widely recommended reading practice to support language and early literacy skills. However, this activity should not be a one-sided narration. The term interactive book reading is used to describe the interaction that occurs between an adult and an individual or group of individuals while looking at or reading a book.
Interactive book reading practices are a highly effective method for acquiring print awareness, phonological awareness, listening comprehension, vocabulary knowledge, and letter knowledge skills, which are important learning domains of early literacy. These practices also play a major role in developing children's language and communication skills.
Practical Strategies to Apply During Reading
When reading a book with your child, you can apply the following strategies to transform them from a passive listener into an active participant:
Predicting: Before beginning to read, the child should be encouraged to make predictions about the text based on the book's title, heading, or illustrations. This sparks the child's curiosity.
Active Engagement: During listening, the child should be supported in making predictions about upcoming events. Questions such as