Spelling: Why Explicit Instruction Is a Critical Component of Literacy Intervention for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Spelling is an often-overlooked aspect of literacy, receiving less instructional time in classrooms than decoding, fluency, or reading comprehension skills. This chapter describes why spelling intervention—particularly explicit and systematic instruction—is necessary for successful overall reading development of students who are at risk for delay, specifically children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). An overview of current research on spelling development in children who are deaf is presented, as well as what we know about the efficacy of spelling interventions in this and other populations. Based on this research, suggestions are made on how best to teach DHH children how to tackle the seemingly chaotic English orthographic system.