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Correlates of spelling abilities in children with early speech sound disorders

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Abstract

The correlates of spelling impairment wereexamined in children with histories of earlyspeech sound disorders. The spelling errors of52 children with histories of speech sounddisorders were analyzed to predict theassociation between weaknesses in expressivelanguage skills in early childhood andschool-age spelling abilities. Resultsrevealed that children with preschool speechsound and language problems became poorerspellers at school age than did children withpreschool speech sound disorders only. However, even children with isolated speechsound disorders demonstrated a weakness inspelling skills relative to their reading andlanguage abilities and Weschler Performance IQ.Measures of phonological awareness were highlycorrelated with spelling skills, suggestingthat phonological processing abilities arerelated to the ability to spell phoneticallypredictable words. Analysis of spelling errorsbased on level of phonological awareness skillrevealed that children with preschool speechsound disorders utilize phonetic strategies inspelling phonetically predictable words. Familial aggregation of spelling disorderssuggests a possible genetic component that ismodified by gender.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Barbara A. Lewis, Lisa A. Freebairn & H. Gerry Taylor

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  1. Barbara A. Lewis
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  3. H. Gerry Taylor
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Correspondence to Barbara A. Lewis.

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Lewis, B.A., Freebairn, L.A. & Taylor, H.G. Correlates of spelling abilities in children with early speech sound disorders. Reading and Writing 15, 389–407 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015237202592

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