Reading with Your Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Child: Tips from a 49-Year Educator

By Dr. Nancy Barker, Ed.D.

For 49 years I have sat on small chairs beside children who are deaf or hard of hearing, watching their faces light up when a story finally clicks. If there is one thing I want every parent to hear, it is this: your child can grow to love books, and you are one of the most important reading partners they will ever have.

This guide is not about choosing a hearing technology, a therapy, or a communication method. Those are decisions for your family, made with your child’s doctors, audiologist and educational team. It is about the everyday, joyful habits that help any child, including a deaf or hard-of-hearing child, connect with stories and print.

Every family’s language choice deserves respect

Families of deaf and hard-of-hearing children communicate in many ways: American Sign Language (ASL), spoken English, cueing, total communication, or a mix that changes over time. I have taught children from every one of these homes, and I have seen readers flourish in all of them.

What matters most for reading is that your child has rich, full access to language early and often, in whatever form your family uses. Organizations like Hands & Voices are built on exactly this idea: they support families without bias toward any one communication mode. If you are still exploring, their parent-to-parent programs are a wonderful place to start.

So as you read the tips below, adapt them to your home. If you sign, sign the story. If you use spoken language, make sure your child can see and hear you well. If you use both, use both.

1. Make shared reading a face-to-face time

Hearing children often pick up a story from across the room. Deaf and hard-of-hearing children usually need to see the conversation as well as the book. A few small changes make a big difference:

• Sit where your child can see both you and the pictures. Many families find that sitting across from the child, or at an angle, works better than side-by-side. Hold the book off to one side so your face, hands and the page are all in view.
• Good light on your face. Avoid sitting with a bright window behind you, which turns your face into a silhouette.
• Quiet the room. Turn off the TV and other background noise. This helps children who use residual hearing or devices, and it helps everyone focus.
• Pause for looking. A child can’t look at a picture and watch your hands or lips at the same moment. Point to the picture, let them look, then get their attention back before you sign or say the next line.

Deaf parents reading with their deaf children have long used strategies like these, and researchers have studied them. The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center shares resources built on that work, including its family literacy materials.

2. Let pictures, gestures and objects do some of the talking

Visual support is a gift to every young reader, and especially to children who are deaf or hard of hearing.

• Choose books with clear, expressive illustrations. Pictures carry meaning even before a child can decode words.
• Act it out. Use your face, body and props. If the story has a bear, bring the teddy bear. If someone is sleepy, show a big yawn.
• Point to the words as you go. Running your finger under the print helps children notice that those little black marks carry the story.
• Connect the word, the picture and your language. Point to the word “dog,” point to the dog, then sign or say “dog.” Repetition across all three builds bridges.

3. Turn on the captions, every time

Captions are one of the easiest literacy tools you already own. When children watch shows, videos or movies with captions on, they see words paired with meaning again and again. Make captions the default on every TV, tablet and streaming account in your home.

For young children, talk about the captions now and then: “Look, that word says stop!” Older children can be encouraged to read along. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) explains how captioning works and where to find it.

4. Build a print-rich home

Children who grow up surrounded by print begin to understand that reading is useful and fun. You don’t need a library; you need a little intention.

• Label things. Put simple word cards on the door, the fridge, the toy bin. If your family signs, add a small picture of the sign.
• Keep books everywhere. A basket in the car, a few by the bed, some in the bathroom. Let your child choose.
• Read the world together. Cereal boxes, street signs, menus and birthday cards are all reading material.
• Write together. Grocery lists, notes to grandma, and labels on drawings show your child that print is for communicating.
• Look for stories in your child’s language. If you use ASL, look for signed storytelling videos. The American Society for Deaf Children’s sign language stories directory gathers many of them in one place.

5. Read a little, often, and follow your child’s lead

Ten happy minutes a day beat one long, tearful session a week. Some tips I’ve shared with parents for decades:

• Read favorites again and again. Repetition builds vocabulary and confidence.
• Ask, don’t quiz. “What do you think happens next?” invites conversation. “What’s this word?” can feel like a test.
• Expand on what your child says. If your child signs or says “ball,” you might respond, “Yes, a big red ball!”
• Let your child “read” to you. Retelling a story from the pictures, in signs or words, is real reading practice.
• Stop while it’s still fun. You want your child to leave wanting more.

Reading Rockets has a thoughtful collection of articles on reading with deaf and hard-of-hearing children that expands on many of these ideas.

6. Partner with your child’s school and IEP team

You know your child better than anyone. Teachers, teachers of the deaf, interpreters and specialists bring other expertise. Children do best when everyone works together.

• Share what works at home. If your child loves a particular book or a reading routine, tell the teacher.
• Ask how reading is taught. Ask what skills your child is working on this year and how you can support them at home.
• Bring questions to IEP or IFSP meetings. It’s fine to ask, “What does my child need to access the reading lesson?” or “How can we measure progress?” Write your questions down ahead of time.
• Ask about access. Children who are deaf or hard of hearing may need accommodations such as interpreters, captioning, preferential seating or other supports. Your team can explain the options available to your child.
• Find your state’s resources. Most states have a deaf and hard-of-hearing outreach program or parent organization. Hands & Voices chapters and the Clerc Center can help you find support near you.

If you have questions about your child’s hearing, devices, speech or language development, please bring them to your child’s audiologist, physician, teacher of the deaf, or speech-language pathologist. Those professionals can give advice tailored to your child. I am an educator, and this guide is meant to support, not replace, their guidance.

7. Celebrate the reader your child is becoming

Every child’s path to reading is different. Some children take off quickly; others need more time and more support. Comparing your child to siblings or classmates rarely helps. Instead, notice the small wins: the first time your child points to a word, retells a favorite story, or asks for “one more book.”

When reading feels like connection rather than a chore, children come back to it. Your warmth, patience and presence matter more than any perfect technique.

A quick checklist for tonight’s story time

• Sit where your child can see your face, hands and the book
• Good light, low background noise
• Pause so your child can look at pictures, then at you
• Point to words as you read
• Act it out with faces, gestures or props
• Captions on for any screen time
• Ask an open question and expand on your child’s answer
• Stop while it’s still fun

Helpful resources

• Reading Rockets: Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children
• Hands & Voices: parent-driven support, unbiased about communication choices
• Hands & Voices education resources
• American Society for Deaf Children: Sign Language Stories
• Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, Gallaudet University
• NIDCD: Captions for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Viewers
• NIDCD: American Sign Language
• NIDCD: Your Baby’s Hearing Screening and Next Steps

Looking for more reading ideas for home? Visit Read Like Rocky.

This article is for general educational information and is not medical, audiological or therapeutic advice.