Semantics impacts response to phonics through spelling intervention in children with dyslexia

We examined the response to a phonics through spelling intervention in 52 children with dyslexia by analyzing their phonological, morphological, and orthographical spelling errors both before and after the intervention whereas their spelling errors before the intervention were compared with those of 105 typically developing spellers. A possible compensatory role of semantics on the intervention effects was also investigated. Results showed that before the intervention, children with dyslexia and the typically developing children both made most morphological errors, followed by orthographic and phonological errors. Within each category, children with dyslexia made more errors than the typically developing children, with differences being largest for phonological errors. Children with dyslexia with better developed semantic representations turned out to make less phonological, morphological, and orthographic errors compared with children with dyslexia with less developed semantic representations. The intervention for children with dyslexia led to a reduction of all error types, mostly of the orthographic errors. In addition, semantics was related to the decline in phonological, morphological, and orthographic spelling errors. This study implicates that semantic stimulation could benefit the spelling development of children at risk for or with dyslexia.

Language-Specific Effects in Response to Spelling Intervention in Italian and in English as an Additional Language

According to a language-integrated view of spelling development, learning to spell involves the same language-learning skills across alphabetic systems. A prediction based on this view is that the same spelling training should be equally effective for learning to spell in a shallow (Italian, native language) or an opaque (English, additional language) orthography. We tested this prediction by teaching 6- to 9-year-old Italian children to use multiletter spelling units to spell words in Italian and English. The children were trained on the spelling of Italian words containing orthographic difficulties that required switching from phoneme–grapheme spelling correspondences to larger grain size (multiletter) spelling units. In a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial, 108 Italian children (ages 6–9 years) were assigned to the experimental spelling training or a waiting list condition. Their ability to spell the trained (Italian and English) word lists and to generalize the acquired knowledge to new (untrained) words was assessed. Similar learning effects were found in the two languages for the trained word lists. However, generalization of the acquired spelling knowledge to new words occurred only in English. The influence of language-specific factors on learning to spell could account for these findings.

Orthographic competencies and phonological awareness in children with developmental coordination disorder

Introduction. Developmental coordination disorder is a disorder of planning and coordination of complex movements during action, without previously diagnosed intellectual disability, neurological or any other sensory impairment. Although it is a relatively common disorder in school-age population, the correlation between phonological awareness and spelling in these children has not been sufficiently investigated. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between phonological awareness and spelling in children with developmental coordination disorder compared to children without coordination difficulty. Methods. The research included 65 children of the third grade of primary schools in Belgrade. Developmental coordination disorder was observed in 29 children, while 36 children did not have this disorder. The Questionnaire for Developmental Coordination Disorder was used to determine its presence. Phonological awareness was assessed by the Test of Phonological Awareness, and spelling by dictation. Results. The results show significant below-average achievements in the assessment of phonological awareness and spelling in children with developmental coordination disorder. Phonemic substitution was the least developed element of phonological awareness. The largest number of errors was observed at the word level, while substitution was the most common error at the syllabic and letter level. A positive correlation between phonemic segments and achievements in spelling indicates a relationship between the sublexical level and spelling development. Conclusion. Poor phonological awareness and spelling ability lead to learning disabilities during the educational process, which results in an overall poorer educational achievement in these children.

A Model of Chinese Spelling Development in Hong Kong Kindergarteners

Copying characters presented previously (delayed copying) is an important skill in Chinese literacy acquisition. The relations of delayed copying and a set of literacy-related skills (including vocabulary knowledge, rapid automatized naming, phonological awareness, morphological awareness, and orthographic awareness), visual-orthographic judgment, motor coordination, pure copying of foreign scripts, and delayed copying to Chinese spelling were examined among 294 typically developing Hong Kong kindergarteners. With all other variables statistically controlled, rapid automatized naming, phonological awareness, morphological awareness, orthographic awareness, motor coordination, and delayed copying all uniquely explained Chinese spelling. To further investigate how delayed copying interacts with other skills, path analyses were conducted. The final model showed that vocabulary knowledge, visual-orthographic judgment, and pure copying had indirect effects on spelling through delayed copying. These findings partly support spelling models developed in alphabetic writing systems, but also reflect the uniqueness of Chinese. In addition, results suggest that delayed copying is a unique window into how children learn to write words in Chinese. The potentially critical role of delayed copying in Chinese spelling makes it a potentially good clinical indicator of early spelling proficiency and spelling difficulties.

Aplicativo para sondagem de hipótese de escrita infantil remota

Nowadays, we face a considerable improvement in education technologies, yet children’s spelling assessment is still a paper-and- pencil based method. Since it is a regular activity in literacy class- rooms and has to be conducted individually with each child, it is a laborious task for a teacher. It is challenging to offer an optimal number of tests because of the number of students in a single class. Moreover, the pandemic period highlighted the need for digital resources to support this activity remotely. In this context, we are developing a method for conducting automated word dictation sessions and support teachers in identifying children spelling development stages. Using DSRM, we believe that we can provide not only offering a more playful writing experience for children through technology, also to reduce teacher overload in the classroom. As preliminary results, the proposal was validated by usability inspection, and the results are promising.

Μάθηση της ορθογραφημένης γραφής της ελληνικής γλώσσας: στρατηγικές που χρησιμοποιούν οι μαθητές της Α’ τάξης στη γραφή

The purpose of the present study was to explore spelling development and spelling strategies employed by novice Greek spellers. Overall, 50 children were assessed throughout the first year of schooling in three testing sessions (Phase 1: November - December, Phase 2: February - March, Phase 3: May-June). The study was based on error measurements of spelling-to-dictation of isolated words. Spelling accuracy was calculated in terms of both phonologically and orthographically correct outputs. The material chosen were 72 words (with or without multi-letter graphemes) from the basic vocabulary of the language textbooks for primary school pupils of Grade A. Theresults are generally consistent with the view that at the initial phases children mainly utilize phonological knowledge of phoneme-grapheme correspondences when spelling, while at the end of Primary A they beginto employ mnemonic strategies in spelling.

The Link Between Language and Spelling: What Speech-Language Pathologists and Teachers Need to Know

Purpose Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) working within the pediatric field will find themselves working with school-age children and consequently collaborating with teaching staff. Knowledge of the links between language, speech, and literacy can support and inform successful collaboration between the SLP and the teacher and their shared goal of facilitating the school-age child in accessing the curriculum. To facilitate and develop the collaborative working practices of SLPs working with school-age children and teaching staff, it is helpful, to both parties, to develop and extend their explicit understanding of the link between language, speech, and spelling. Method In this tutorial, I describe how verbal and written speech and language skills are inextricably linked and key to spelling development and progress. I will (a) discuss the complexities of spelling in the English language; (b) describe the links between language, speech, and spelling; and (c) propose a linguistically informed approach to spelling intervention. Conclusion SLPs have expertise in the key speech and language domains such as phonology, morphology, and semantics and are therefore well placed to play an important role in supporting learners in making links between these domains in relation to spelling development and intervention.

Spelling: Why Explicit Instruction Is a Critical Component of Literacy Intervention for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Spelling is an often-overlooked aspect of literacy, receiving less instructional time in classrooms than decoding, fluency, or reading comprehension skills. This chapter describes why spelling intervention—particularly explicit and systematic instruction—is necessary for successful overall reading development of students who are at risk for delay, specifically children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). An overview of current research on spelling development in children who are deaf is presented, as well as what we know about the efficacy of spelling interventions in this and other populations. Based on this research, suggestions are made on how best to teach DHH children how to tackle the seemingly chaotic English orthographic system.