Parents count: Enhancing early math skills of young deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the home environment

Abstract

Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children are more at risk for mathematical difficulties than hearing children. The few studies that have focused on preschoolers showed that even at this age DHH children already lag behind their hearing peers. Early math skills are important for later mathematics performance and school success in general, so early stimulation of these skills is needed. Research has shown that the home environment plays an important role in the development of early math skills. Because parent-child math activities predict later achievement, it is important to increase parents' awareness of the importance of math activities for young DHH children. This chapter focuses on early math skills in DHH children and describes how parents can enhance these skills in the home environment.