Deaf individuals’ bilingual abilities: American Sign Language proficiency, reading skills, and family characteristics
Authors
Freel, Brittany L.Clark, M. Diane
Anderson, Melissa L
Gilbert, Gizelle L.
Musyoka, Millicent M.
Hauser, Peter C.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Psychiatry, Systems and Psychosocial Advances Research CenterDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2011-02-01Keywords
DeafAmerican Sign Language
Reading
Bilingual
Family
Health Services Research
Mental and Social Health
Psychiatric and Mental Health
Psychiatry
Psychiatry and Psychology
Psychology
Reading and Language
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
The current study investigated the bilingual abilities of 55 Deaf individuals, examining both American Sign Language (ASL) competency and English reading skills. Results revealed a positive relationship between ASL competency and English skills, with highly competent signers scoring higher on a measure of reading comprehension. Additionally, family characteristics (e.g., parental education level, family hearing status) were entered into the analysis to ascertain their effect on Deaf individuals’ bilingual abilities. The findings support the theory that competency in ASL may serve as a bridge to the acquisition of English print. Moreover, the findings provide support for the critical period hypothesis for first language acquisition and its later impact on other cognitive and academic skills.Source
Freel, B. , Clark, M. , Anderson, M. , Gilbert, G. , Musyoka, M. & Hauser, P. (2011). Deaf Individuals’ Bilingual Abilities: American Sign Language Proficiency, Reading Skills, and Family Characteristics. Psychology, 2, 18-23. doi: 10.4236/psych.2011.21003.
DOI
10.4236/psych.2011.21003Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/45506Notes
At the time of publication, Melissa Anderson was not yet affiliated with the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Distribution License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.4236/psych.2011.21003
Scopus Count
Collections
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/