Invented Spelling, Word Stress, and Syllable Awareness in Relation to Reading Difficulties in Children

• In Event: Park Central Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Roundtable Session: Interventions in Special Education

Abstract

The study assessed the clinical utility of an invented spelling tool and determined whether invented spelling with linguistic manipulation at segmental and supra-segmental levels can be used to better identify reading difficulties. We recruited 60 third-grade students, of which half were typical readers and half were poor readers. The invented spelling task consistently differentiated those with reading difficulties from typical readers. It explained unique variance in conventional spelling. Word stress explained unique variance in both word reading and conventional spelling, highlighting the importance of addressing phonological awareness at the supra-segmental level. Poor readers had poorer performance when spelling both real and nonreal words and demonstrated substantial difficulty in detecting word stress. Practical implications for early identification and instruction are discussed.

Authors

• Sheena Mehta

• Yi Ding, Fordham University

• Molly Ness, Fordham University

• Eric C. Chen, Fordham University