As a consequence of hearing loss, the deaf present delayed speech and oral language development. Language determines an individual's linguistic and cognitive development and plays an essential role in learning, that is, learning is produced through systematic exposure to language. Learning of written language is tied to verbal language, so deafness will likely result in delayed reading as well as writing, since such productions will be seen as abstract. The aim of the present study was to verify the possibility of using dramatization as a therapeutic instrument for learning written language, so as to promote the development of interpretation and understanding of written texts for deaf students. The study was developed with four deaf students, aged between 9 and 15 years, patients of the Speech Pathology Course Clinic - UNIARA. The study had three stages: reading the text and individually filling out a questionnaire, dramatization, and repetition of the application of the questionnaire. The participants' understanding of the text improved 100%; they demonstrated that they were able to understand the text and express their comprehension, albeit with some grammatical and syntactic difficulties. The dramatization enabled the deaf students to experience the text concretely, which helped them to understand and interpret that which they hadn't understood while reading.
deafness; reading and writing; dramatization; special education
