Fingerspelling as a pathway to deaf children's reading: a scoping review.
Krister Schönström, Ingela Holmström
PMID 41170769WHAT IT FOUND
Most studies in this review found a positive link between fingerspelling and reading in deaf children.
Fingerspelling acts as a bridge between sign language and print, supporting word recognition and orthographic knowledge, though it works best alongside strong sign language skills.
Key findings
0112 of the 26 reviewed studies reported a positive correlation between fingerspelling and reading skills.
02Fingerspelling is described as a bridge between sign language and written language, aiding in sublexical skills like letter knowledge and metalinguistic awareness.
03Sign language proficiency is closely linked to fingerspelling ability, and studies suggest that strong sign language skills support the effective use of fingerspelling for reading.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The review is limited to publications in English, Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish, potentially missing research from other regions. Most included studies focused on ASL and English, so findings may not generalize to other sign languages or written languages with different orthographic depths. The heterogeneity of deaf education methods and participant language backgrounds across studies makes direct comparisons difficult. The review includes a mix of qualitative and quantitative designs, which limits the ability to draw definitive causal conclusions about efficacy. Only 26 studies were included, and the search was limited to data available up to February 2024.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The project "ReadSign" is funded by the Swedish Institute for Educational Research, but the review itself is a separate scoping review.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that teaching fingerspelling in isolation will improve reading. The review emphasizes that fingerspelling is most effective when supported by strong sign language proficiency and integrated into broader literacy practices like chaining.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →