Improving phonological skills and reading comprehension in deaf children: A new multisensory approach

ABSTRACT Purpose To explore the effectiveness of a multisensory program integrating visual, kinesthetic, and vibrotactile information to train phonological and syntactic reading abilities in prelingually deaf children between 6 and 10 years of age. Method We examined whether the multisensory phonological training in combination with syntactic training (MPT+ST) improved phonological and syntactic reading abilities in prelingually deaf children in comparison with a non-multisensory phonological training in combination with ST (nonMPT+ST). Furthermore, we compared phonological recoding abilities (via pseudohomophone effect) of deaf children who received the MPT+ST training with that of their hearing peers. Finally, we investigated whether the effects observed in deaf children after MPT+ST and nonMPT+ST were retained six months. Results The MPT+ST improved phonological recoding abilities, both in reading isolated words and in recoding abilities that contributed to improved syntactic processing tasks. After MPT+ST the deaf children’s pseudohomophone effect was similar to that of typical hearing children, but this effect was not retained six months after training. Conclusion The phonological route is mediated by multiple sensory systems and MPT+ST contributes to deaf children’s ability to achieve higher reading comprehension by the time they finish primary education; however, sustaining the gains likely requires a longer-term intervention.