[Treatment of reading and writing disorders after the primary grades: application and evaluation of a concept]

An empirical investigation is described which demonstrates the effectiveness of a program for dyslexic children (n = 50). The program was used with small groups of approximately 6 children within the school setting and continued for a period of 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 school years. The entire investigation lasted 5 years, so it was possible to repeat the treatment program in other schools, and additional schools participated by providing control groups. The criterion used to test for treatment effects was improvement in spelling on a standardized test after the participation in the program. The results showed highly significant improvement in writing and spelling both in the treatment groups and in the classes of which these groups were a part, whereas in the control groups there was no significant improvement between the first and second tests. An error analysis showed that the children in the treatment groups improved most in the areas that had been worked on in the program.