Treating the core deficits of developmental dyslexia: Evidence of transfer of learning after phonologically- and strategy-based reading training programs.

Abstract

Individuals with dyslexia have difficulty generalizing from word identification training. This study compared 2 forms of word identification training to promote transfer of learning by children with dyslexia. Sixty-two children were randomly assigned to one of the training programs or to a study skills control program. One program trained phonological analysis and blending skills and provided direct instruction of letter-sound correspondences; the other trained the acquisition, use, and monitoring of 4 metacognitive decoding strategies. Results provided clear evidence of transfer of learning after treatment of the core reading deficits of these children. Both training approaches were associated with large positive effects, transfer on several measures, and generalized achievement gains. The phonological program resulted in greater generalized gains in the phonological domain and the strategy program in broader-based transfer for real words.Developmental dyslexia is a term applied to those children who fail to learn to read-to recognize language in its visible form-despite evidence of sensory and intellectual integrity, as well as instructional and sociocultural opportunity. Dyslexia typically, although not invariably, is accompanied by deficits in some aspect of speech and language development. A failure to acquire rapid, context-free word identification skill appears to

Remediation of Fluency: Word Specific or Generalised Training Effects?

“…Explicit training may be required to be able to use analogies. The idea that focus of instruction can have an influence on level of transfer has some support (Lovett et al, 1994). For instance, Benson, Lovett, and Kroeber (1997) found higher levels of transfer in reading disabled children after reading training combined with explicit instruction on orthography compared to transfer after mere visual presentation of words.…”

Response to intervention with older students with reading difficulties

“…Researchers investigating effective reading interventions for students with reading difficulties typically use standard protocols of instruction (e.g., Lovett et al, 1994Lovett et al, , 2000Torgesen et al, 2001;Vellutino et al, 1996;Wise, Ring, & Olson, 1999). Standard protocol interventions provide empirically validated interventions to all students performing at low levels.…”

Using talking computers to remediate reading and spelling disabilities: The critical role of the print-to-sound unit

“…Although all three experimental groups learned word recognition skills that they could transfer to the reading of new words with related spelling patterns, the greatest transfer gains were made by the group whose training involved segmenting words at the letter sound level (see also Lovett, Borden, et al, 1994). Although these results may be limited to the small sample of neurologically impaired dyslexic readers as well as the specific nature and duration of the instruction involved in Lovett, Barron, et al, they suggest that extensive training on individual letter sound units and on blending those units into a whole Transfer to uninstructed regular rhyming words for each instruction condition in Lovett, Barron, Forbes, Cuksts, and Steinbach (1994), with reading posttest means adjusted for pretest performance differences.…”