A Computer-Based Method to Improve the Spelling of Children with Dyslexia

In this paper we present a method which aims to improve the spelling of children with dyslexia through playful and targeted exercises. In contrast to previous approaches, our method does not use correct words or positive examples to follow, but presents the child a misspelled word as an exercise to solve. We created these training exercises on the basis of the linguistic knowledge extracted from the errors found in texts written by children with dyslexia. To test the effectiveness of this method in Spanish, we integrated the exercises in a game for iPad, DysEggxia (Piruletras in Spanish), and carried out a within-subject experiment. During eight weeks, 48 children played either DysEggxia or Word Search, which is another word game. We conducted tests and questionnaires at the beginning of the study, after four weeks when the games were switched, and at the end of the study. The children who played DysEggxia for four weeks in a row had significantly less writing errors in the tests that after playing Word Search for the same time. This provides evidence that error-based exercises presented in a tablet help children with dyslexia improve their spelling skills.Comment: 8 pages, ASSETS'14, October 20-22, 2014, Rochester, NY, US

Dislexia: los retos y logros en la enseñanza del inglés como lengua extranjera

Traballo Fin de Grao en Lingua e Literatura Inglesas. Curso 2022-2023In the Spanish Educational System, the study of a second language is compulsory since Pre-School. Most schools in the country have English as the second language instructed among centres. Nevertheless, given the differences with their mother tongue, such as spelling and pronunciation, English can seem complex for students. Still, nothing compared to the difficulties faced by studies with dyslexia. According to the DSM-5-TR (2022), dyslexia is a learning disability characterised “by problems with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor decoding, and poor spelling abilities”. Consequently, teaching an L2 to those with difficulties with their L1 can become difficult for educators. The characteristics of the disability will help find better methods for students with dyslexia; in other words, studying the differences between people with dyslexia in Spanish and people with dyslexia in English will give us some insight into how the difficulties reflect so that we can assess them properly. Parallel to that, by looking at Spanish and British teaching approaches for children with dyslexia, we can see the student’s needs and the significant problems they face. Understanding the above is crucial to the paper’s central theme: teaching dyslexic children a second language. By studying the current methods used in Spain to teach English as a second language to children with dyslexia, we intend to show the advantages and disadvantages of each technique used nowadays and the challenges and accomplishments the students and educators could encounter in the process. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to show how dyslexia can affect the learning process not only in their mother tongue but also in a second language. In addition, we intend to illustrate how the structure of the Spanish Educational System and the currently available methods and strategies could imply challenges for children with dyslexi

Cognitive processes and neural correlates of reading in languages with graded levels of orthographic transparency: Spanish, English and Hebrew

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis examined the cognitive processes and neural correlates involved in reading Spanish (a transparent orthography), English (an intermediate orthography) and Hebrew (an opaque orthography) by bilinguals and trilinguals. The main objectives of the five experiments were to: (i) extend previous findings which demonstrated that orthographic transparency influences the degree of reliance on lexical and sublexical processing, and (ii) assess the effects of orthographic transparency and language proficiency on strategies employed for reading in a second and third language. Word/non-word naming tasks undertaken by Spanish-English bilinguals, Hebrew-English bilinguals and English monolinguals, where frequency, length and lexicality were manipulated, showed a predominant reliance on sublexical processing in Spanish, lexical processing in Hebrew, and a balanced interplay in English. Effects of language proficiency were also observed as slower naming and lower accuracy in English as a second language. Concurrently, while showing an efficient adaptation of reading strategy to the level of orthographic transparency of English, Hebrew bilinguals appeared to show stronger reliance on sublexical processing than Spanish bilinguals, suggesting a compensatory mechanism. fMRI experiments showed that reading in all languages was associated with a common network of predominantly left-lateralised cerebral regions. Reading in each language was associated with some preferential activation within regions implicated in lexical and sublexical processing, in keeping with their graded levels of orthographic transparency. Effects of language proficiency were demonstrated as increased activation within medial frontal regions implicated in attentional processes as well as right-lateralised homologous language-processing regions. Furthermore, the patterns of activation seen in Hebrew readers in English strengthened the notion of a compensatory mechanism. Finally, a trilingual experiment replicated findings observed in bilinguals, revealed the acute complexity of reading in Hebrew as an additional language and further strengthened the concept of a compensatory mechanism in English and Spanish. The present findings further contribute to current knowledge on teaching methods, diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies for developmental and acquired reading disorders

Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities are a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by failure to acquire, retrieve, or use information competently. They are the most severe and chronic form of learning difficulty in children. They can be present at birth or acquired as a result of illness, exposure to toxins, poor nutrition, medical treatment, sociocultural deprivation, or injury. Learning problems typically consist in failure to acquire reading, writing, or math skills, which are traditionally considered core domains. This book explores the epidemiology, neurobiological bases, and diagnostic tools necessary for a comprehensive assessment of children with learning disabilities. It also presents examples of children with specific learning disabilities and explains possible intervention strategies

Cover, Copy, and Compare: An Effective Strategy for ASL Acquisition for Students with Dyslexia?

A single subject, multiple baseline study was designed to determine the benefits of Skinner’s Cover, Copy, Compare (CCC) intervention for students with dyslexia who are learning American Sign Language. (ASL). The number of educational institutions offering ASL as a foreign language is on the rise; ASL has become the third most taught language in the U.S. (Mitchell, 2006). However, there is a misconception that it is an easier language to learn than orthographic languages. In fact, ASL is a complex language with its own grammatical rules including complex syntax and semantics. Learning a visual language may present a unique challenge to dyslexic learners; it requires constant visual attention, paired-associate learning and recall, which may be challenging for dyslexic learners. Cover Copy Compare (CCC) as an intervention for dyslexic learners has proven successful in learning other content (i.e., spelling words). CCC strategies were implemented to reinforce ASL vocabulary to four post-secondary students identified with dyslexia. By using CCC in a multimedia format, the need for receptive and expressive skills are addressed, therefore addressing both aspects of ASL acquisition. The major findings suggest participants improved recall of signs as an expressive skill. As they are able to recall signs with greater fluency, their ability to communicate with fluence can increase as well

Semantic radical consistency and character transparency effects in Chinese: an ERP study

BACKGROUND: This event-related potential (ERP) study aims to investigate the representation and temporal dynamics of Chinese orthography-to-semantics mappings by simultaneously manipulating character transparency and semantic radical consistency. Character components, referred to as radicals, make up the building blocks used dur...postprin

A Case Study of the Preventing Academic Failure Orton-Gillingham Approach With Five Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Using the Mediating Tool of Cued Speech

Struggling deaf readers, like struggling readers with dyslexia, share similarities in their difficulty with phonemic awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Orton-Gillingham instruction is used to remediate these difficulties among hearing readers, but data is needed on its effectiveness with deaf students. Five subjects, who were severely deaf or hard of hearing, participated in a year long case study analyzing the impact of an Orton-Gillingham approach, supported with Cued Speech, on the development of their reading skills. Participants ranged from kindergarten to Grade 5, had additional learning, language, and socioeconomic challenges, and were mainstreamed in a public school district. Data were obtained in the fall, winter, and spring of one academic year from assessments (DRA, DIBELS, PAF), interviews with classroom teachers, and field notes. Results demonstrated that all five students made a year of growth, or more, on their reading achievement, similarly to expected yearly progress of students without disabilities. Results indicated that Orton-Gillingham instruction, supported with Cued Speech, may mitigate reading challenges among severely deaf or hard of hearing students in the mainstream. Additional studies are needed to verify the results in different educational settings