Visual dictation improves the spelling performance of three groups of dutch students with spelling disabilities

A spelling training was implemented in three subgroups of Dutch children (N = 33) with spelling disabilities: (a) children with spelling problems of normal or above-normal intelligence; (b) children with spelling problems of normal or above-normal intelligence who also exhibited severe externalizing behavioral problems; and (c) children with spelling problems of relatively low intelligence. Two types of words were trained (N= 24): words with ambiguous sound-spelling relations and words with complex consonant clusters. The training was effective in all subgroups. The spelling performance on both types of words improved from pretest to posttest, and was on the whole sustained on the retention test. The only exceptions were the children with spelling problems and severe behavioral problems, whose performance on words with ambiguous sound-spelling relations dropped from posttest to the retention test, even though it remained above pretest levels. Theoretical and practical implications for the spelling instruction of subgroups of children with spelling problems on subclasses of words are discussed.