Competências de leitura e vocabulário em Libras em escolares surdos

Considering the importance of sign language vocabulary to written language acquisition in deaf people, the present study analyzed the level of word recognition skills, reading comprehension and receptive vocabulary in Brazilian Sign Language (also known as “Libras”) of deaf students, and also verified correlations between them. Fifteen deaf students participated, between the ages of 13 and 22, enrolled in elementary and secondary schools of regular municipal and state schools in the city of Iguatu (Ceará). Participants were assessed on the adapted version of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT), as well as the Word Reading Competency Test (WRCT) to evaluate the word recognition skills and the Comprehension Test of Reading Sentences (CTRS) for the reading comprehension evaluation. The sample presented low performances both in receptive vocabulary and in reading skills assessed in relation to hearing students. A logographic reading pattern of the deaf group was identified, which tends to hamper reading comprehension. Corroborating the literature of the area, the results showed that the competences evaluated are positively associated, with moderate to high magnitudes. Thus, the study evidenced poorly developed skills in this sample of deaf students but revealed a relationship between more basic word recognition skills and vocabulary skills with complex reading comprehension skills.