Response to phonics through spelling intervention in children with dyslexia

Abstract

We examined the response to a phonics through spelling intervention for children with developmental dyslexia in word and pseudoword reading efficiency and word spelling. Furthermore, we investigated to what extent the response to the intervention is robust across different cognitive profiles (phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and working memory). A group of 54 Dutch children, diagnosed with developmental dyslexia, received a phonics through spelling intervention that combined reading and spelling instruction and practice in a systematic way. An equal amount of time was spent on reading and spelling. Compared with norms within a normal population, positive effects were established for word and pseudoword reading efficiency and word spelling from pretest to posttest. The individual variation in phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, and verbal working memory did not significantly influence the progress in reading and spelling children made during the phonics through spelling intervention. It can thus be concluded that a combined reading and spelling intervention is beneficial for word and pseudoword reading efficiency and word spelling in children with developmental dyslexia notwithstanding their cognitive profiles. Although promising results were found, this study also showed the persistence of spelling but even more so of reading problems after an intervention among children with dyslexia.