Orthographic learning in children with isolated and combined reading and spelling deficits

Abstract

Dissociations 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.

Testing the Specificity of Predictors of Reading, Spelling and Maths: A New Model of the Association Among Learning Skills Based on Competence, Performance and Acquisition

“…Recent evidence on the partial dissociability between reading and spelling deficits also points to the mediating role of the speed component in reading ( Mehlhase et al, 2019 ). Thus, spelling deficits were associated to deficient storing of orthographic representations in long-term memory while isolated reading fluency deficits were associated to spared orthographic representations but slowed access to these representations.…”

Reading-related functional activity in children with isolated spelling deficits and dyslexia

“…Taken together, our results are thus more consistent with the partial cue than the over-reliance hypothesis, although the lack of a clear decoding deficit in SpD is not completely in line with the former either. Recent evidence from an orthographic learning study (Mehlhase et al, 2019) suggests that SpD children have problems in developing and storing stable orthographic representations in long-term memory. This finding represents a likely alternative explanation for orthographic weaknesses observed in SpD, but needs further replication.…”

Early cognitive predictors of spelling and reading in German-speaking children

“…As literacy development progresses, the acquisition of orthographic knowledge becomes pivotal for both spelling and reading. Based on findings in an orthographic learning experiment, Mehlhase et al (2019) suggested that dissociations might occur as a consequence of distinct orthographic deficits. Isolated reading disorder is characterized by a deficiency in efficiently processing stored words despite a lack of deficit in storing orthographic representations.…”