Readability of Online Hearing-Based Early Intervention Materials

Purpose: A quantitative readability assessment of currently accessible online materials for parents of children who are D/deaf and hard of hearing. Design: Consistent with current recommendations discussing “grade-level” of materials, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL) analysis, along with five other related measures, was conducted for each website. These analyses provide a readability score for each of the websites analyzed. Study sample: The first five pages of results from a Google search of “early intervention deaf” and “early intervention hear” were compiled for readability assessment. Results: Sixty-three websites were included in the analysis. Following article modification, inter- and intra-rater reliability were excellent (p th-grade reading level (m=12.62, SD=2.65). There was no significant impact of the search page, intended audience, or producer on FKGL (p \u3e.1). Conclusion: Currently accessible online resources for parents looking at early intervention for children who are D/deaf and hard of hearing are written at a level that may not be accessible. Materials may benefit from being revised and edited with readability and health literacy recommendations in mind