Paul, P. V., & Yan, P. (2023). The effects of American Sign Language on English reading proficiency . American Annals of the Deaf , 167 (5), 745–760. https://doi.org/10.1353/aad.2023.0010

The impact of American Sign Language (ASL) on English reading proficiency was examined.

Participants were not specified. Relevant research and research-integrated journal articles were included.

A systematic review of the literature was conducted via an electronic search to identify relevant studies published between 1990 and 2022. A professional review (a review by experts) was conducted to determine which articles were to be included.

Most deaf and hard of hearing students in ASL-English bilingual programs do not achieve age- or grade-level English reading ability compared to hearing peers, despite some correlational evidence showing benefits of ASL proficiency. While ASL may have some positive effects on English reading skills, ASL proficiency alone is not sufficient to guarantee the acquisition and maintenance of grade-level English reading comprehension. The authors concluded that more rigorous research is needed to assess the merits of using ASL for developing English literacy skills.