The British education system is neglecting the needs of deaf children, many of whom have major reading difficulties, according to new research led by academics from City University London and funded by the Nuffield Foundation.
Over half of the deaf children assessed had reading difficulties that were at least as severe as the problems faced by hearing children with dyslexia and in some cases they were more severe.
However, unlike for hearing children with dyslexia, there are no specific reading interventions routinely offered to support their reading, meaning they are unnecessarily falling behind their peers.
The study, one of the largest of its kind, examined two groups of children aged 10-11: deaf children that communicate orally (as opposed to using sign language), known as oral deaf, and hearing children with dyslexia. In all, seventy-nine children with a severe-profound level of deafness took part in the study, representing a significant proportion of oral deaf children in the UK at this age.