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Specific Language Impairment affects the early spelling process quantitatively but not qualitatively.
Kim A H Cordewener1, Anna M T Bosman, Ludo Verhoeven
1Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE Nijmegen, The Netherlands. k.cordewener@pwo.ru.nl
Research in Developmental Disabilities
|April 17, 2012
Summary
Children with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) show a slower, but not different, spelling development compared to peers. Early spelling education for SLI should focus on increased practice of the same skills used for typically developing children.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
- Special Education
Background:
- Specific Language Impairment (SLI) affects language acquisition.
- The educational needs for spelling in children with SLI are not fully understood.
- Investigating early spelling differences can inform educational strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if early spelling in children with SLI differs quantitatively or qualitatively from typically developing children.
- To ascertain if children with SLI require a specialized spelling education program.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of first-grade children with and without SLI.
- Assessment of grapheme knowledge and spelling abilities.
- Analysis of quantitative and qualitative spelling differences.
Main Results:
- Children with SLI demonstrated a quantitative delay in grapheme knowledge and spelling.
- No qualitative differences were found in the early spelling processes between groups.
- Children with SLI utilize the same spelling strategies as typically developing peers, but at a slower pace.
Conclusions:
- Children with SLI experience a developmental delay in spelling, not a difference in process.
- Educational approaches for SLI spelling should involve intensified practice of standard skills.
- Teachers can implement consistent strategies, emphasizing increased repetition for children with SLI.
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