Abstract
ABSTRACTDissociations between reading and spelling problems are likely to be associated with different underlying cognitive deficits, and with different deficits in orthographic learning. In order to understand these differences, the current study examined orthographic learning using a printed-word learning paradigm. Children (4th grade) with isolated reading, isolated spelling and combined reading and spelling problems were compared to children with age appropriate reading and spelling skills on their performance during learning novel words and symbols (non-verbal control condition), and during immediate and delayed reading and spelling recall tasks. No group differences occurred in the non-verbal control condition. In the verbal condition, initial learning was intact in all groups, but differences occurred during recall tasks. Children with reading fluency deficits showed slower reading times, while children with spelling deficits were less accurate, both in reading and spelling recall. Children with isolated spelling problems showed no difficulties in immediate spelling recall, but had problems in remembering the spellings 2 hours later. The results suggest that different orthographic learning deficits underlie reading fluency and spelling problems: Children with isolated reading fluency deficits have no difficulties in building-up orthographic representations, but access to these representations is slowed down while children with isolated spelling deficits have problems in storing precise orthographic representations in long-term memory.
Highlights
) with isolated reading, isolated spelling and combined reading and spelling problems were compared to children with age appropriate reading and spelling skills on their performance during learning novel words and symbols, and during immediate and delayed reading and spelling recall tasks
That PA has been shown to be a precursor for learning grapheme–phoneme correspondences (Frith, 1985; Perfetti, 1997) and for building-up word-specific orthographic representations (Share, 1995), the following assumptions can be made for the two isolated deficit groups: Children with isolated reading fluency deficits seem to have word-specific representations available, as they show no difficulties in spelling and, in line with their cognitive profile, have no difficulties in PA
While the four groups did not differ in verbal short-term memory, children with combined reading and spelling problems showed a significantly lower performance in verbal working memory as measured by digit span backwards than the two groups with adequate spelling skills
Summary
) with isolated reading, isolated spelling and combined reading and spelling problems were compared to children with age appropriate reading and spelling skills on their performance during learning novel words and symbols (non-verbal control condition), and during immediate and delayed reading and spelling recall tasks. That PA has been shown to be a precursor for learning grapheme–phoneme correspondences (Frith, 1985; Perfetti, 1997) and for building-up word-specific orthographic representations (Share, 1995), the following assumptions can be made for the two isolated deficit groups: Children with isolated reading fluency deficits (iRD) seem to have word-specific representations available, as they show no difficulties in spelling and, in line with their cognitive profile, have no difficulties in PA This does not mean that orthographic processing is unimpaired in children with iRD. Due to their relevance for fast reading, the reduced or degraded orthographic representations in children with iSD might lead to slightly reduced reading times in longer words
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
