Visual+Phonics+Paper

Letter sound correspondence is the knowledge of the sounds represented by the letters of the alphabet. Also, the letters used to represent the sounds. Letter sound correspondence is the basis of reading and writing skills. In order for a student to be able to read the student must be able to recognize the letter and associate the sound that goes with it. Furthermore, for the student to be able to write they have to break the word into sounds and know what letters represent those sounds. Students who are deaf or hard of hearing face many difficulties with letter sound correspondence. Visual phonics is an intervention used to assist students who are deaf or hard of hearing learn letter sound correspondence. This intervention uses a system of sounds associates which represents each sound in the English language with a hand signal and a graphic or written symbol. Visual phonics consists of forty-six hand signals that represent sound not words. The symbol always represents that same letter which avoids students from getting frustrated. Visual phonics is a multi-sensory approach using both mouth movements and the hand gestures. As the student moves their mouth to phoneme they also do the hand gesture. This allows the student to further grasp the connection between the sound and the letter. The student will be able to use the signs to communicate with the teacher when they need assistance in reading and writing.

No Child Left Behind increased attention on student reading levels and achievement. This increased attention also increased the importance and relevance of Visual Phonics as an intervention in the classroom. Woolsey, Satterfield & Roberson note, “Many programs are phonics based, until now many deaf children have been unable to access the phonetic system of English” (2006). Since Visual Phonics is not a sound based intervention, it is used. This intervention allows children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to learn to read more effectively than traditional phonics models. Visual Phonics is a reading intervention that incorporates a “multisensory system of hand cues and written symbols” (Narr & Cawthon 2010). This method uses a student’s tactile/kinesthetic, verbal, visual, and auditory skills to increase phonemic awareness and letter-sound correspondence. The hand cues developed in Visual Phonics are representations of phonemes: “the hand cues were designed to resemble the look and tactile feel of the sounds they represent” (Woolsey, Satterfield, & Roberson 2006). The hand motion corresponds with the motion that the speakers tongue must make in order to create the sound properly. This helps students connect what they see with what they do. In addition to the hand cues, written symbols are also used. These written symbols can help students begin to recognize “spelling patterns or phonetic word structures”. However, in a survey conducted by Rachel Narr and Stephanie Cawthon of educators using a Visual Phonics intervention, “less than half of the participants reported they use the written symbols that accompany Visual Phonics” (2010). Some participants felt that “the written symbols were confusing to children who were also learning the alphabet” (Narr & Cawthon 2010). This same survey also found that most teachers don’t use visual phonics exclusively to teach letter-sound correspondence and phonemic awareness. Most teachers use visual phonics in combination with other instructional resources. The difference between the implementation of a Visual Phonics intervention and the teaching of sign language is that Visual Phonics is not a communicative system. The program is used exclusively the aid in direct instruction of phonemes and letter-sound correspondence: “Visual Phonics is not a reading curriculum, nor is it simply a speech program. It is not a program meant to be continued after the student had developed phonemic awareness skills and phonics” (Woolsey, Satterfield and Roberson 2006).