The impact of print exposure on deaf student literacy.

This article investigates how early cochlear implantation (CI), exposure to cued speech (CS—a visual support system for oral language perception), and print exposure influence literacy development in orally educated deaf children and adolescents. Two experiments with Grade 2–3 children and Grade 6–9 adolescents revealed that print exposure consistently predicts literacy skills across age groups, while cue reading (speech perception with CS) and speech intelligibility contribute significantly in older students. The study suggests that measures of cue reading and speech intelligibility better reflect the impact of CI and CS on literacy than simply the age at implantation or CS exposure. These findings highlight the importance of sustained multimodal support and regular print exposure throughout schooling to enhance reading and language outcomes in deaf learners.