The Utility of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills as a Literacy Screener for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
Diana Burke, Ellie Cooper, Krystal Werfel
PMID 39431119WHAT IT FOUND
For deaf and hard-of-hearing children with strong language skills, the DIBELS screener matched hearing peers in most areas and correlated with standard tests.
However, it missed reading comprehension deficits found on other measures. Do not rely on it alone to rule out literacy delays.
Key findings
01Children who are deaf or hard of hearing scored similarly to hearing peers on most DIBELS subtests, but made significantly more errors on Oral Reading Fluency.
02DIBELS composite scores strongly correlated with norm-referenced literacy assessments for both groups, supporting its use as a screening tool for high-performing students.
03The DIBELS did not assess reading comprehension, where the deaf and hard-of-hearing group scored significantly lower than hearing peers on the WRMT-III.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was very small (n=38) and consisted of high-performing children with language scores in the average range, so results may not generalize to children with lower language skills. The study only included kindergarten and first-grade students, limiting insights into later literacy development. The DIBELS is a timed measure, and while this group performed well, it is unclear if timing disadvantages affect other children with hearing loss differently.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume a normal DIBELS score means a child who is deaf or hard of hearing has no literacy deficits. The screener missed significant reading comprehension problems in this group, so it must be paired with comprehension-specific assessments.