A pictographic method for teaching spelling to Greek dyslexic children

In the Greek orthography every letter consistently represents the same sound, but the same sound can be represented by different letters or pairs of letters. This makes spelling more difficult than reading. Two methods of teaching spelling to Greek dyslexic children are compared. The first involved pictograms (specially drawn pictures) for use when alternative spellings are possible. This is referred to as the 'PICTO' method. The second was in effect a combination of two traditional methods: the first involved the teaching of letter-sound correspondences in a multisensory way; the second involved the use of concepts derived from linguistics, the children being taught the derivations of words and shown how the same root morphemes, derivative morphemes, etc., were cosistently represented by the same spelling pattern. This combination of methods is referred to as 'TRAD', signifying 'traditional'. There were 72 subjects in the study, aged between 9 and 11 years. Four different teachers, each using both PICTO and TRAD, took part in the teaching sessions. The PICTO method proved considerably more effective; and possible reasons are suggested as to why this might be so.