Spelling Disabled

Bernie is a wizard with a learning disability. The magic works, but not always the way he intends it to. Join him, his demon familiar, a white and tan cat called "Fluffernutter," and his friends as he bumbles his way through adventure.

Originally published in 1983, recent advances in cognitive psychology had revealed that reading and spelling disabilities may be due to deficits in basic cognitive processes. Dr Jorm looks at each type of disability in detail, in relation to normality as well as intellectual disability (formerly called retardation), and finds that the new research provides a useful approach to seemingly intractable problems. He covers a broad range of topics, including the social context of reading disabilities, the role of biological factors, remedial teaching, and prevention of literacy problems. He also gives a forward-looking account of how research at the time on the cognitive processes in comprehension might aid our understanding of the relatively neglected group of children who can read individual words yet fail to comprehend adequately. Reading disabilities are increasingly serious in a culture which places an ever higher value on literacy, and the discoveries of the cognitive psychologists are presented here in a way that will still be accessible to all those teachers and parents who want to know about developments in the past.

Although experts agree that various types of learning disabilities do exist, few attempts have been made to classify learning disabled children into subtypes. The editors of this collection feel that the lack of subcategorization has frustrated previous research efforts to obtain a generalizable body of knowledge in the field. To meet this critical need for definitive information, this book presents basic reviews and theoretical approaches used to subtype learning disabled children -- ranging from a behavior genetics approach to a dimensional approach. It also demonstrates actual research methods utilizing theoretical approaches.

Includes established theories and cutting-edge developments. Presents the work of an international group of experts. Presents the nature, origin, implications, an future course of major unresolved issues in the area.

This book bridges the gap between knowledge accumulated from research on spelling acquisition and the practicalities of teaching spelling more effectively. Current trends are examined, alongside community views on spelling standards because this is the context in which change is beginning to occur. The book contains practical suggestions on methods and activities applicable to all students, supplemented by specific advice on assessment, and links to additional resources.

The first four chapters introduce and discuss the theoretical background of both adolescence and learning disabilities. They are followed by five detailed chapters, each a case history of one learning disabled young man, that provide us with as full and unique a picture of the youths as is possible. The final chapters explore teaching the learning disabled adolescent in the secondary school. The authors have devised a core educational regimen which will prepare children for life and will insure the integrity of the youth's individual personality. Practical procedures-a teaching method-establish learning and test the performance of secondary school students in particular. Cruickshank, Morse, and Johns concentrate on reading, organization, study skills, and written language.

This distinctive cross-linguistic examination of spelling examines the cognitive processes that underlie spelling and the process of learning how to spell. The chapters report and summarize recent research in English, German, Hebrew, and French. Framing the specific research on spelling are chapters that place spelling in braod theoretical perspectives provided by cognitive neuroscience, psycholinguistic, and writing system-linguistic frameworks. Of special interest is the focus on two major interrelated issues: how spelling is acquired and the relationship between reading and spelling. An important dimension of the book is the interweaving of these basic questions about the nature of spelling with practical questions about how children learn to spell in classrooms. A motivating factor in this work was to demonstrate that spelling research has become a central challenging topic in the study of cognitive processes, rather than an isolated skill learned in school. It thus brings together schooling and learning issues with modern cognitive research in a unique way. testing, children writing strings of letters as a teacher pronounces words ever so clearly. In parts of the United States it can also bring an image of specialized wizardry and school room competition, the "spelling bee." And for countless adults who confess with self-deprecation to being "terrible spellers," it is a reminder of a mysterious but minor affliction that the fates have visited on them. Beneath these popular images, spelling is a human literacy ability that reflects language and nonlanguage cognitive processes. This collection of papers presents a sample of contemporary research across different languages that addresses this ability. To understand spelling as an interesting scientific problem, there are several important perspectives. First, spelling is the use of conventionalized writing systems that encode languages. A second asks how children learn to spell. Finally, from a literacy point of view, another asks the extent to which spelling and reading are related. In collecting some of the interesting research on spelling, the editors have adopted each of these perspectives. Many of the papers themselves reflect more than one perspective, and the reader will find important observations about orthographies, the relationship between spelling and reading, and issues of learning and teaching throughout the collection.

"This comprehensive handbook reviews the major theoretical, methodological, and instructional advances that have occurred in the field of learning disabilities. With contributions from leading researchers, the volume synthesizes a vast body of knowledge on the nature of learning disabilities, their relationship to basic psychological and brain processes, and how students with these difficulties can best be identified and treated. Findings are reviewed on ways to support student performance in specific skill areas/m-/including language arts, math, science, and social studies/m-/as well as general principles of effective instruction that cut across academic domains. Authoritative and up to date, the book also examines the concepts and methods that guide learning disability research and identifies promising directions for future investigation"--