Comparison of written language abilities between adult deaf and young deaf children

The purpose of the current study was to compare for the first time in Cyprus deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) children’s written ability with that of adult d/hh persons. One group consisted of young children who were between 12–13 years of age and with congenital hearing losses (mean 80 dB HL in the better hearing ear at .5, 1, 2, 4 kHz), but without additional disabilities, who were attending the last grade of various general high schools in Cyprus (N = 11). They were trained orally in general schools, which they attended exclusively. The comparison group consisted of 11 adult d/hh persons (mean 75 dB HL in the better hearing ear at .5, 1,2, 4 kHz), all of whom were between 41–58 years of age, without any disabilities; they all are signing Deaf and had attended the school for the deaf in Cyprus. All participants were asked to produce written texts on topics of common interest (about everyday life). The analysis of the written texts was both quantitative and qualitative. Regarding the quantitative analysis, the written language was analysed by focusing on a) text content and structure, b) syntax, and c) vocabulary. Qualitative analysis was applied for further elaboration on the characteristics observed in the texts of the sample. This study revealed that d/hh children reached better levels of competence in written Greek compared with adult d/hh people, at least for the investigated aspects. The findings of the study may be of importance for educators and policy makers in Cyprus and elsewhere.