Serial order in writing— A study of misspelled words in “developmental dysgraphia”

Abstract

This report is based on the analysis of the systematically erroneous spelling noted in the diary of an adult of “bright normal intelligence”. The vocabulary used in that text is quite rich, hence providing a material rarely available as the spontaneous production of a “poor speller”. 1. (1) A morphological classification of the misspellings is presented: 1.1. I. Addition e.g. “SERVERAL” (several), 1.2. II. Deletion e.g. “ELDERY” (elderly), 1.3. III. Substitution e.g. “MIGNIGHT” (midnight), 1.4. IV. Inversion e.g. “PRESENEC” (presence). Nearly all of the few hundred erroneous words found in the diary, several of which contain more than one misspelling (e.g. “FORIENGRESS” for “foreigners”), can be classified under these headings. Faulty word ordering in a sentence occurs less frequently, but when present assumes similar patterns. 2. (2) It is suggested that the significant factor in the production of such misspellings is a difficulty with the temporo-spatial reproduction of letters in conventional serial order. The phonetic structure of a word can occasionally act as a reinforcing element in the appearance of such sequential errors. 3. (3) A common denominator of all these types of errors is the role played by an actual or virtual pair of identical letters. A comparative study of the structure of the correct and of the misspelled words tends to show the influence of symmetrical components in the genesis of faulty sequences. 4. (4) It is stressed that sequencial errors can appear as the result of an acquired lesion just as they can persist in the presence of a developmental deficit. 5. (5) A diagnosis of developmental dysgraphia is put forward for the case reported. It is, however, suggested that cases such as the one analyzed are primarily disorders of spelling. It is implied that in such cases of developmental dysgraphia and dyslexia, comprehension is only secondarily impaired, namely, if the difficulty with the serial order of symbols become sufficiently severe.