Teaching Reading to the Deaf

Using Pattern Books

© Lynn Moore

Parents of deaf children are focused on empowering their child to talk and later to read. How do pattern books assist in the development of reading skills?

This technique is appropriate for children with hearing loss (deaf, hard of hearing, and those with a cochlear implant). Other special needs children (autistic, developmentally delayed, LD, ADD, ADHD) also benefit from books with repeating text. In fact, using books with repetition is a typical step in teaching all children to read.

What is a pattern book? Pattern books (sometimes called repeat or predictable books) use the same phrase or sentence with one changing word on each page. For example:

  1. Page 1: The dog saw a boy.
  2. Page 2: The dog saw a bone.
  3. Page 3: The dog saw a shoe.
  4. etc.

Why are pattern books helpful for deaf children learning to read?

How to Use a Pattern Book with a Struggling Reader

Is this really reading?

Pattern books teach these beginning skills:

No one picked up a novel or the newspaper and immediately began reading. Enjoy this step in your child's reading development!

Pattern Books