Background. Intervention studies have reported the advantage of teaching children about morphemes for spelling, but direct comparisons between explicit and implicit teaching have been examined systematically in relation to only a few morphological rules. Aims. This study compared explicit versus implicit teaching of the functional rule for the conservation of stem morphemes in derived words in English (e.g., logic is conserved in the derivative logician in spite of changes in pronunciation). Sample. Participants (n = 90; 7-to 9-year-olds) were drawn from three schools with a diverse intake. Methods. The design included a pre-test and two post-intervention tests. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: an explicit group, taught about stems and their conservation in derived words; an implicit group, exposed to the same stems and derivatives without explicit teaching; and an unseen control group. At pre-and post-test, the children's spelling of stems in derivatives was assessed. The interventions involved practice games in which the children spelled derived words after seeing the base forms; the explicit group discussed the connection between the spellings, whereas the implicit group did not. Results. Analyses of variance revealed that explicit teaching led to more significant spelling improvements than implicit or no teaching, and this effect held at both post-tests. Conclusions. It was concluded that explicit teaching of the stem conservation rule in derived forms combined with appropriate practice games shows a sustained effect on spelling. The evidence supports explicit teaching of this morphological rule in classroom practice. The English orthography includes functional and formal rules. Functional rules relate to the representation of phonemes (i.e., units of sound are represented by particular letters), and of morphemes (i.e., units of meaning are represented by specific stem and suffix spellings) (Carney, 1994; Jaffré, 1997; Venezky, 1970), whereas formal rules refer to permissible letter sequences and positions (e.g., no double consonants are allowed at the

Young people with autism are increasingly being referred for family therapy (FT) owing to impaired family functioning, but few studies have investigated the support families receive following a diagnosis through specific NHS Trusts. This study examined (1) the proportion of autism cases referred for FT in one Trust and (2) the post-diagnostic support families received. Participants (n = 144; 9.5-19.3 years) were FT referrals between 2019-2020. Autism diagnostic status and the support families received from FT, from the neurodevelopmental (ND) service which specialises in autism, and for co-occurring conditions [e.g., cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)] was extracted retrospectively from routine data. Forty FT referrals met autism criteria: several families did not receive FT; few were provided with support from the ND service; and if CBT was offered, no adaptations for autism were noted. Families received insufficient support following a diagnosis through this Trust. Implications include improving post-diagnostic support for families in practice.