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Vizzi F, Iaia M, Carlino MD, Marinelli CV, Turi M, Angelelli P. The Enduring Challenge of Literacy Issues in Adulthood: Investigating Spelling Deficits among Dyslexic Italian University Students. Brain Sci 2024; 14:712. [PMID: 39061452 PMCID: PMC11274375 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14070712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2024] [Revised: 07/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The issue of literacy challenges among dyslexic adults remains a significant concern. This study investigates spelling deficits among highly educated adults with dyslexia learning a transparent orthography. Thirty-eight Italian dyslexic university students were examined and compared to a group of age- and education-matched typical readers. Firstly, we analyzed spelling performance using a Passage Dictation Test. Additionally, lists of words varying in length and word frequency were dictated under two experimental conditions: a normal condition (NC) and an articulatory suppression condition (ASC). The ASC assessed the participants' ability to spell with interference to the phonological (sublexical) spelling procedure, i.e., the most likely compensated spelling strategy of Italian dyslexic spellers. The results clearly indicated that, in spelling the meaningful passage, dyslexic participants underperformed compared to the controls, with a prevalence of lexical errors, despite the comparison with the normative reference data showing only mild spelling difficulties. In spelling isolated words in normal conditions, dyslexic participants performed within the reference norms and as accurately as control participants across all stimuli (short words, high- and low-frequency words), except for long words, where their spelling difficulties were evident. Articulatory suppression significantly impaired dyslexics' performance on short stimuli, reducing the usual sublexical advantage associated with them, and exacerbated misspellings on long words. Additionally, articulatory suppression disproportionately affected dyslexics' performance on high-frequency words, diminishing the typical lexical advantage associated with these words. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical, clinical, and educational implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Vizzi
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy; (F.V.); (M.I.); (M.D.C.); (M.T.)
- Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Salento, 73110 Lecce, Italy
| | - Marika Iaia
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy; (F.V.); (M.I.); (M.D.C.); (M.T.)
- Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Salento, 73110 Lecce, Italy
| | - Maria Diletta Carlino
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy; (F.V.); (M.I.); (M.D.C.); (M.T.)
| | - Chiara Valeria Marinelli
- Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Humanities, University of Foggia, 71122 Foggia, Italy;
| | - Marco Turi
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce, Italy; (F.V.); (M.I.); (M.D.C.); (M.T.)
- Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Salento, 73110 Lecce, Italy
| | - Paola Angelelli
- Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Salento, 73110 Lecce, Italy
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Bartha-Doering L, Roberts D, Baumgartner B, Yildirim MS, Giordano V, Spagna A, Pal-Handl K, Javorszky SM, Kasprian G, Seidl R. Developmental surface dyslexia and dysgraphia in a child with corpus callosum agenesis: an approach to diagnosis and treatment. Cogn Neuropsychol 2024:1-23. [PMID: 38942485 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2024.2368876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
We present a case study detailing cognitive performance, functional neuroimaging, and effects of a hypothesis-driven treatment in a 10-year-old girl diagnosed with complete, isolated corpus callosum agenesis. Despite having average overall intellectual abilities, the girl exhibited profound surface dyslexia and dysgraphia. Spelling treatment significantly and persistently improved her spelling of trained irregular words, and this improvement generalized to reading accuracy and speed of trained words. Diffusion weighted imaging revealed strengthened intrahemispheric white matter connectivity of the left temporal cortex after treatment and identified interhemispheric connectivity between the occipital lobes, likely facilitated by a pathway crossing the midline via the posterior commissure. This case underlines the corpus callosum's critical role in lexical reading and writing. It demonstrates that spelling treatment may enhance interhemispheric connectivity in corpus callosum agenesis through alternative pathways, boosting the development of a more efficient functional organization of the visual word form area within the left temporo-occipital cortex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Bartha-Doering
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Daniel Roberts
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Bettina Baumgartner
- Department of Logopedics, Phoniatrics, and Audiology, University of Applied Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mehmet Salih Yildirim
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Vito Giordano
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Alfredo Spagna
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katharina Pal-Handl
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susanne Maria Javorszky
- Department of Logopedics, Phoniatrics, and Audiology, University of Applied Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Gregor Kasprian
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Image-guided Therapy, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rainer Seidl
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Friedmann N, Gvion A. Two types of developmental surface dysgraphia: to bee but not to bea. Cogn Neuropsychol 2023; 40:119-147. [PMID: 38062780 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2023.2280220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
We report on two types of developmental surface dysgraphia. One type, exhibited by 8 participants, is orthographic lexicon surface dysgraphia, which involves an impairment in the orthographic output lexicon, leading to nonword phonologically-plausible misspellings. The other type, shown by 3 participants, is disconnection surface dysgraphia. In this type, the orthographic output lexicon is disconnected from the semantic system and from the phonological input lexicon, but still contributes to spelling via support to the orthographic output buffer, resulting in mainly lexical phonologically-plausible misspellings (writing be as "bee" but not "bea").The specific localization of the impairment in spelling, in the lexicon or in its connections, allowed us to examine the question of one or two orthographic lexicons; four participants who had a deficit in the orthographic output lexicon itself in writing had intact orthographic-input-lexicon in reading. They made surface errors in writing but not in reading the same words, supporting separate input and output orthographic lexicons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naama Friedmann
- Language and Brain Lab, Sagol School of Neuroscience and School of Education, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Aviah Gvion
- Language and Brain Lab, Sagol School of Neuroscience and School of Education, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- Communication Sciences and Disorders Department, Ono Academic College, Kiryat Ono, Israel
- Reuth Rehabilitation Hospital, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Arfé B, Zancato T. Language-Specific Effects in Response to Spelling Intervention in Italian and in English as an Additional Language. JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES 2022; 55:99-113. [PMID: 33813942 DOI: 10.1177/00222194211001757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
According to a language-integrated view of spelling development, learning to spell involves the same language-learning skills across alphabetic systems. A prediction based on this view is that the same spelling training should be equally effective for learning to spell in a shallow (Italian, native language) or an opaque (English, additional language) orthography. We tested this prediction by teaching 6- to 9-year-old Italian children to use multiletter spelling units to spell words in Italian and English. The children were trained on the spelling of Italian words containing orthographic difficulties that required switching from phoneme-grapheme spelling correspondences to larger grain size (multiletter) spelling units. In a stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial, 108 Italian children (ages 6-9 years) were assigned to the experimental spelling training or a waiting list condition. Their ability to spell the trained (Italian and English) word lists and to generalize the acquired knowledge to new (untrained) words was assessed. Similar learning effects were found in the two languages for the trained word lists. However, generalization of the acquired spelling knowledge to new words occurred only in English. The influence of language-specific factors on learning to spell could account for these findings.
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Interpreting Developmental Surface Dyslexia within a Comorbidity Perspective. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11121568. [PMID: 34942870 PMCID: PMC8699141 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11121568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence underlines the importance of seeing learning disorders in terms of their partial association (comorbidity). The present concept paper presents a model of reading that aims to account for performance on a naturalistic reading task within a comorbidity perspective. The model capitalizes on the distinction between three independent levels of analysis: competence, performance, and acquisition: Competence denotes the ability to master orthographic–phonological binding skills; performance refers to the ability to read following specific task requirements, such as scanning the text from left to right. Both competence and performance are acquired through practice. Practice is also essential for the consolidation of item-specific memory traces (or instances), a process which favors automatic processing. It is proposed that this perspective might help in understanding surface dyslexia, a reading profile that has provoked a prolonged debate among advocates of traditional models of reading. The proposed reading model proposes that surface dyslexia is due to a defective ability to consolidate specific traces or instances. In this vein, it is a “real” deficit, in the sense that it is not due to an artifact (such as limited exposure to print); however, as it is a cross-domain defect extending to other learning behaviors, such as spelling and math, it does not represent a difficulty specific to reading. Recent evidence providing initial support for this hypothesis is provided. Overall, it is proposed that viewing reading in a comorbidity perspective might help better understand surface dyslexia and might encourage research on the association between surface dyslexia and other learning disorders.
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Marinelli CV, Angelelli P, Martelli M, Trenta M, Zoccolotti P. Ability to Consolidate Instances as a Proxy for the Association Among Reading, Spelling, and Math Learning Skill. Front Psychol 2021; 12:761696. [PMID: 34744942 PMCID: PMC8564173 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.761696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Learning skills (as well as disorders) tend to be associated; however, cognitive models typically focus either on reading, spelling or maths providing no clear basis for interpreting this phenomenon. A recent new model of learning cognitive skills proposes that the association among learning skills (and potentially the comorbidity of learning disorders) depends in part from the individual ability to consolidate instances (taken as a measure of rate of learning). We examined the performance of typically developing fifth graders over the acquisition of a novel paper-and-pencil task that could be solved based on an algorithm or, with practice, with reference to specific instances. Our aim was to establish a measure of individual rate of learning using parameters envisaged by the instance theory of automatization by Logan and correlate it to tasks requiring knowledge of individual items (e.g., spelling words with an ambiguous transcription) or tasks requiring the application of a rule or an algorithm (e.g., spelling non-words). The paper-and-pencil procedure yielded acquisition curves consistent with the predictions of the instance theory of automatization (i.e., they followed a power function fit) both at a group and an individual level. Performance in tasks requiring knowledge of individual items (such as doing tables or the retrieval of lexical representations) but not in tasks requiring the application of rules or algorithms (such as judging numerosity or spelling through sublexical mapping) was significantly predicted by the learning parameters of the individual power fits. The results support the hypothesis that an individual dimension of "ability to consolidate instances" contributes to learning skills such as reading, spelling, and maths, providing an interesting heuristic for understanding the comorbidity across learning disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Paola Angelelli
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | | | - Mara Trenta
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Zoccolotti
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.,Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
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A Network Analysis of the Relationship among Reading, Spelling and Maths Skills. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11050656. [PMID: 34069961 PMCID: PMC8157862 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11050656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background. Skill learning (e.g., reading, spelling and maths) has been predominantly treated separately in the neuropsychological literature. However, skills (as well as their corresponding deficits), tend to partially overlap. We recently proposed a multi-level model of learning skills (based on the distinction among competence, performance, and acquisition) as a framework to provide a unitary account of these learning skills. In the present study, we examined the performance of an unselected group of third- to fifth-grade children on standard reading, spelling, and maths tasks, and tested the relationships among these skills with a network analysis, i.e., a method particularly suited to analysing relations among different domains. Methods. We administered a battery of reading, spelling, and maths tests to 185 third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade children (103 M, 82 F). Results. The network analysis indicated that the different measures of the same ability (i.e., reading, spelling, and maths) formed separate clusters, in keeping with the idea that they are based on different competences. However, these clusters were also related to each other, so that three nodes were more central in connecting them. In keeping with the multi-level model of learning skills, two of these tests (arithmetic facts subtest and spelling words with ambiguous transcription) relied heavily on the ability to recall specific instances, a factor hypothesised to underlie the co-variation among learning skills. Conclusions. The network analysis indicated both elements of association and of partial independence among learning skills. Interestingly, the study was based on standard clinical instruments, indicating that the multi-level model of learning skills might provide a framework for the clinical analysis of these learning skills.
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Güven S, Friedmann N. Vowel dyslexia in Turkish: A window to the complex structure of the sublexical route. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0249016. [PMID: 33760863 PMCID: PMC7990308 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We report on developmental vowel dyslexia, a type of dyslexia that selectively affects the reading aloud of vowel letters. We identified this dyslexia in 55 Turkish-readers aged 9-10, and made an in-depth multiple-case analysis of the reading of 17 participants whose vowel dyslexia was relatively selective. These participants made significantly more vowel errors (vowel substitution, omission, migration, and addition) than age-matched controls, and significantly more errors in vowel letters than in consonants. Vowel harmony, a pivotal property of Turkish phonology, was intact and the majority of their vowel errors yielded harmonic responses. The transparent character of Turkish orthography indicates that vowel dyslexia is not related to ambiguity in vowel conversion. The dyslexia did not result from a deficit in the phonological-output stage, as the participants did not make vowel errors in nonword repetition or in repeating words they had read with a vowel error. The locus of the deficit was not in the orthographic-visual-analyzer either, as their same-different decision on words differing in vowels was intact, and so was their written-word comprehension. They made significantly more errors on nonwords than on words, indicating that their deficit was in vowel processing in the sublexical route. Given that their single-vowels conversion was intact, and that they showed an effect of the number of vowels, we conclude that their deficit is in a vowel-specific buffer in the sublexical route. They did not make vowel errors within suffixes, indicating that suffixes are converted as wholes in a separate sublexical sub-route. These results have theoretical implications for the dual-route model: they indicate that the sublexical route converts vowels and consonants separately, that the sublexical route includes a vowel buffer, and a separate morphological conversion route. The results also indicate that types of dyslexia can be detected in transparent languages given detailed error-analysis and dyslexia-relevant stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selçuk Güven
- Department of Speech and Language Therapy, Anadolu University, Eskişehir, Turkey
| | - Naama Friedmann
- Language and Brain Lab, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- * E-mail:
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Zoccolotti P, De Luca M, Marinelli CV, Spinelli D. Testing the Specificity of Predictors of Reading, Spelling and Maths: A New Model of the Association Among Learning Skills Based on Competence, Performance and Acquisition. Front Hum Neurosci 2020; 14:573998. [PMID: 33364927 PMCID: PMC7750359 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.573998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In a previous study (Zoccolotti et al., 2020) we examined reading, spelling, and maths skills in an unselected group of 129 Italian children attending fifth grade by testing various cognitive predictors; results showed a high degree of predictors' selectivity for each of these three behaviors. In the present study, we focused on the specificity of the predictors by performing cross-analyses on the same dataset; i.e., we predicted spelling and maths skills based on reading predictors, reading based on maths predictors and so on. Results indicated that some predictors, such as the Orthographic Decision and the Arithmetic Facts tests, predicted reading, spelling and maths skills in similar ways, while others predicted different behaviors but only for a specific parameter, such as fluency but not accuracy (as in the case of RAN), and still others were specific for a single behavior (e.g., Visual-auditory Pseudo-word Matching test predicted only spelling skills). To interpret these results, we propose a novel model of learning skills separately considering factors in terms of competence, performance and acquisition (automatization). Reading, spelling and calculation skills would depend on the development of discrete and different abstract competences (accounting for the partial dissociations among learning disorders reported in the literature). By contrast, overlap among behaviors would be accounted for by defective acquisition in automatized responses to individual "instances"; this latter skill is item specific but domain independent. Finally, performance factors implied in task's characteristics (such as time pressure) may contribute to the partial association among learning skills. It is proposed that this new model may provide a useful base for interpreting the diffuse presence of comorbidities among learning disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierluigi Zoccolotti
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Developmental Dyslexia Lab, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria De Luca
- Developmental Dyslexia Lab, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Valeria Marinelli
- Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, Department of History, Society and Human Studies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Donatella Spinelli
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, Foro Italico University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Zoccolotti P, De Luca M, Marinelli CV, Spinelli D. Predicting individual differences in reading, spelling and maths in a sample of typically developing children: A study in the perspective of comorbidity. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231937. [PMID: 32352985 PMCID: PMC7192483 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined reading, spelling, and mathematical skills in an unselected group of 129 Italian fifth graders by testing various cognitive predictors for each behaviour. As dependent variables, we measured performance in behaviours with a clear functional value in everyday life, such as reading a text, spelling under dictation and doing mental and written computations. As predictors, we selected cognitive dimensions having an explicit relation with the target behaviour (called proximal predictors), and prepared various tests in order to select which task had the best predictive power on each behaviour. The aim was to develop a model of proximal predictors of reading (speed and accuracy), spelling (accuracy) and maths (speed and accuracy) characterized by efficacy also in comparison to the prediction based on general cognitive factors (i.e., short-term memory, phonemic verbal fluency, visual perceptual speed, and non-verbal intelligence) and parsimony, pinpointing the role of both common and unique predictors as envisaged in the general perspective of co-morbidity. With one exception (reading accuracy), the proximal predictors models (based on communality analyses) explained a sizeable amount of variance, ranging from 27.5% in the case of calculation (accuracy) to 48.7% of reading (fluency). Models based on general cognitive factors also accounted for some variance (ranging from 6.5% in the case of spelling to 19.5% in the case of reading fluency) but this was appreciably less than that explained by models based on the hypothesized proximal predictors. In general, results confirmed the efficacy of proximal models in predicting reading, spelling and maths although they offered only limited support for common predictors across different learning skills; namely, performance in the Orthographic Decision test entered as a predictor of both reading and spelling indicating that a single orthographic lexicon may account for performance in reading and spelling. Possible lines of research to expand on this approach are illustrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pierluigi Zoccolotti
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Maria De Luca
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Valeria Marinelli
- Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention, Department of History, Society and Human Studies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Donatella Spinelli
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, Foro Italico University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Marinelli CV, Zoccolotti P, Romani C. The ability to learn new written words is modulated by language orthographic consistency. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0228129. [PMID: 32053616 PMCID: PMC7018089 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0228129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION It is well known that a difficulty in forming lexical representations is a strong predictor of reading and spelling difficulties even after controlling for the effects of other cognitive skills. Our study had two main interrelated aims. First, we wanted to examine whether the ability to learn new written words (lexical learning) varies as a function of the orthographic consistency of the language of the learner. Second, we wanted to evaluate the cognitive abilities involved in orthographic lexical learning and whether they differed as a function of language consistency. METHOD 163 Italian children and 128 English children performed a lexical learning task as well as tasks assessing several cognitive skills potentially related to the ability to establish orthographic representations. RESULTS We found that children learning an orthographic inconsistent orthography (English) were better able to learn novel written words presented in association with pictures than children learning a consistent orthography (Italian). This was true for both younger and older primary school children and also when children were matched for school grade. Lexical learning may be better in English children because the many irregularities of this language promote storing in memory whole-word representations and processing larger orthographic units. In Italian, instead, reading can be accomplished successfully on the basis of grapheme-phoneme conversion rules and on processing smaller orthographic units. This interpretation was supported by the pattern of cognitive skills associated with lexical learning skills in the two languages. Variations in lexical learning were explained by spatial visual memory and phonological awareness tasks in both languages, but phonological STM explained further variance in Italian, while a task tapping visuo-attentional capacity explained further variance in English. CONCLUSION Learning a language with inconsistent orthography is associated with better lexical learning skills in children at different stages of primary school; the pattern of cognitive skills associated with lexical learning skills is also partially modulated by orthographic consistency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Valeria Marinelli
- Department of History, Lab. of Applied Psychology and Intervention, Society and Human Studies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Zoccolotti
- Department of Psychology, University of Rome La Sapienza, Rome, Italy
- ISTC Institute for Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, CNR, Rome, Italy
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Gangl M, Moll K, Banfi C, Huber S, Schulte-Körne G, Landerl K. Reading strategies of good and poor readers of German with different spelling abilities. J Exp Child Psychol 2018; 174:150-169. [PMID: 29957357 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2018.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Revised: 04/06/2018] [Accepted: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Reading and spelling abilities are thought to be highly correlated during development, and orthographic knowledge is assumed to underpin both literacy skills. Interestingly, recent studies showed that reading and spelling skills can also dissociate. The current study investigated whether spelling skills (indicating orthographic knowledge) are associated with the application of orthographic strategies during reading. We examined eye movements of 137 third- and fourth-graders who were either good or poor readers with or without a spelling deficit: 43 children with typical reading and spelling skills, 28 with isolated spelling deficits, 28 with isolated reading deficits, and 38 with combined reading and spelling deficits. Although we expected to find reduced reliance on orthographic reading processes among poor spellers, this was evident for the group with combined deficits only. Both isolated deficit groups applied sublexical and lexical processes in a similar amount to typically developing children. Our findings suggest that reading rests on orthographic strategies even if lexical representations are poor as indicated by a deficit in spelling skills. Findings also show that dysfluent reading does not result only from overreliance on decoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Gangl
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Kristina Moll
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Chiara Banfi
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria
| | - Stefan Huber
- Knowledge Media Research Center, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gerd Schulte-Körne
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, 80336 Munich, Germany
| | - Karin Landerl
- Institute of Psychology, University of Graz, 8010 Graz, Austria.
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Angelelli P, Marinelli CV, De Salvatore M, Burani C. Morpheme-based Reading and Spelling in Italian Children with Developmental Dyslexia and Dysorthography. DYSLEXIA (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2017; 23:387-405. [PMID: 28177182 DOI: 10.1002/dys.1554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2016] [Revised: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Italian sixth graders, with and without dyslexia, read pseudowords and low-frequency words that include high-frequency morphemes better than stimuli not including any morpheme. The present study assessed whether morphemes affect (1) younger children, with and without dyslexia; (2) spelling as well as reading; and (3) words with low-frequency morphemes. Two groups of third graders (16 children with dyslexia and dysorthography and 16 age-matched typically developing children) read aloud and spelt to dictation pseudowords and words. Pseudowords included (1) root + suffix in not existing combinations (e.g. lampadista, formed by lampad-, 'lamp', and -ista, '-ist') and (2) orthographic sequences not corresponding to any Italian root or suffix (e.g. livonosto). Words had low frequency and included: (1) root + suffix, both of high frequency (e.g. bestiale, 'beastly'); (2) root + suffix, both of low frequency (e.g. asprigno, 'rather sour'); and (3) simple words (e.g. insulso, 'vapid'). Children with dyslexia and dysorthography were less accurate than typically developing children. Root + suffix pseudowords were read and spelt more accurately than non-morphological pseudowords by both groups. Morphologically complex (root + suffix) words were read and spelt better than simple words. However, task interacted with morphology: reading was not facilitated by low-frequency morphemes. We conclude that children acquiring a transparent orthography exploit morpheme-based reading and spelling to face difficulties in processing long unfamiliar stimuli. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Angelelli
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Chiara Valeria Marinelli
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
- IRCCS Foundation Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Marinella De Salvatore
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Cristina Burani
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, CNR, Rome, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
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Marinelli CV, Cellini P, Zoccolotti P, Angelelli P. Lexical processing and distributional knowledge in sound-spelling mapping in a consistent orthography: A longitudinal study of reading and spelling in dyslexic and typically developing children. Cogn Neuropsychol 2017; 34:163-186. [PMID: 29057705 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2017.1386168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the ability to master lexical processing and use knowledge of the relative frequency of sound-spelling mappings in both reading and spelling. Twenty-four dyslexic and dysgraphic children and 86 typically developing readers were followed longitudinally in 3rd and 5th grades. Effects of word regularity, word frequency, and probability of sound-spelling mappings were examined in two experimental tasks: (a) spelling to dictation; and (b) orthographic judgment. Dyslexic children showed larger regularity and frequency effects than controls in both tasks. Sensitivity to distributional information of sound-spelling mappings was already detected by third grade, indicating early acquisition even in children with dyslexia. Although with notable differences, knowledge of the relative frequencies of sound-spelling mapping influenced both reading and spelling. Results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and empirical implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Valeria Marinelli
- a Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention , University of Salento , Lecce , Italy.,b Institute for Research and Health Care (IRCCS) Santa Lucia , Rome , Italy
| | - Pamela Cellini
- c Department of Psychology , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy
| | - Pierluigi Zoccolotti
- c Department of Psychology , Sapienza University of Rome , Rome , Italy.,d Institute for Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC) , Italian National Research Council (CNR) , Rome , Italy
| | - Paola Angelelli
- a Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention , University of Salento , Lecce , Italy
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15
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Hepner C, McCloskey M, Rapp B. Do reading and spelling share orthographic representations? Evidence from developmental dysgraphia. Cogn Neuropsychol 2017; 34:119-143. [PMID: 28934055 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2017.1375904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Both spelling and reading depend on knowledge of the spellings of words. Despite this commonality, observed dissociations between spelling and reading in cases of acquired and developmental deficits suggest some degree of independence between the cognitive mechanisms involved in these skills. In this paper, we examine the relationship between spelling and reading in two children with developmental dysgraphia. For both children, we identified significant deficits in spelling that affected the processing of orthographic long-term memory representations of words. We then examined their reading skills for similar difficulties. Even with extensive testing, we found no evidence of a reading deficit for one of the children. We propose that there may be an underlying difficulty that specifically affects the learning of orthographic word representations for spelling. These results lead us to conclude that at least some components of lexical orthographic representation and processing develop with considerable independence in spelling and reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Hepner
- a Department of Neurology , Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , MD , USA
| | - Michael McCloskey
- b Department of Cognitive Science , Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , MD , USA
| | - Brenda Rapp
- b Department of Cognitive Science , Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore , MD , USA
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Sotiropoulos A, Hanley JR. Lexical decision performance in developmental surface dysgraphia: Evidence for a unitary orthographic system that is used in both reading and spelling. Cogn Neuropsychol 2017; 34:144-162. [DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2017.1368468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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17
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De Luca M, Marinelli CV, Spinelli D, Zoccolotti P. Slowing in reading and picture naming: the effects of aging and developmental dyslexia. Exp Brain Res 2017; 235:3093-3109. [PMID: 28744622 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-017-5041-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2016] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We examined the slowing in vocal reaction times shown by dyslexic (compared to control) children with that of older (compared to younger) adults using an approach focusing on the detection of global, non-task-specific components. To address this aim, data were analyzed with reference to the difference engine (DEM) and rate and amount (RAM) models. In Experiment 1, typically developing children, children with dyslexia (both attending sixth grade), younger adults and older adults read words and non-words and named pictures. In Experiment 2, word and picture conditions were presented to dyslexic and control children attending eighth grade. In both experiments, dyslexic children were delayed in reading conditions, while they were unimpaired in naming pictures (a finding which indicates spared access to the phonological lexicon). The reading difficulty was well accounted for by a single multiplicative factor while only the residual effect of length (but not frequency and lexicality) was present after controlling for over-additivity using a linear mixed effects model with random slopes on critical variables. Older adults were slower than younger adults across reading and naming conditions. This deficit was well described by a single multiplicative factor. Thus, while slowing of information processing is limited to orthographic stimuli in dyslexic children, it cuts across verbal tasks in older adults. Overall, speed differences in groups such as dyslexic children and older adults can be effectively described with reference to deficits in domains encompassing a variety of experimental conditions rather than deficits in single specific task/conditions. The DEM and RAM prove effective in teasing out global vs. specific components of performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria De Luca
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Valeria Marinelli
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention "DREAM", Department of History Society and Human Studies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Donatella Spinelli
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy.,Department of Human Movement Sciences and Health, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Zoccolotti
- Neuropsychology Unit, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy. .,Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00176, Rome, Italy.
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18
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Purcell JJ, Jiang X, Eden GF. Shared orthographic neuronal representations for spelling and reading. Neuroimage 2017; 147:554-567. [PMID: 28011250 PMCID: PMC5303658 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2016.12.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2016] [Revised: 12/11/2016] [Accepted: 12/19/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
A central question in the study of the neural basis of written language is whether reading and spelling utilize shared orthographic representations. While recent studies employing fMRI to test this question report that the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and ventral occipitotemporal cortex (vOTC) are active during both spelling and reading in the same subjects (Purcell et al., 2011a; Rapp and Lipka, 2011), the spatial resolution of fMRI limits the interpretation of these findings. Specifically, it is unknown if the neurons which encode orthography for reading are also involved in spelling of the same words. Here we address this question by employing an event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging-adaptation (fMRI-A) paradigm designed to examine shared orthographic representations across spelling and reading. First, we identified areas that independently showed adaptation to reading, and adaptation to spelling. Then we identified spatial convergence for these two separate maps via a conjunction analysis. Consistent with previous studies (Purcell et al., 2011a; Rapp and Lipka, 2011), this analysis revealed the left dorsal IFG, vOTC and supplementary motor area. To further validate these observations, we then interrogated these regions using an across-task adaptation technique, and found adaptation across reading and spelling in the left dorsal IFG (BA 44/9). Our final analysis focused specifically on the Visual Word Form Area (VWFA) in the vOTC, whose variability in location among subjects requires the use of subject-specific identification mechanisms (Glezer and Riesenhuber, 2013). Using a functional localizer for reading, we defined the VWFA in each subject, and found adaptation effects for both within the spelling and reading conditions, respectively, as well as across spelling and reading. Because none of these effects were observed during a phonological/semantic control condition, we conclude that the left dorsal IFG and VWFA are involved in accessing the same orthography-specific representations for spelling and reading.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy J Purcell
- Center for the Study of Learning, Department of Pediatrics, United States
| | - Xiong Jiang
- Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University Medical Center, United States
| | - Guinevere F Eden
- Center for the Study of Learning, Department of Pediatrics, United States.
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De Franchis V, Usai MC, Viterbori P, Traverso L. Preschool executive functioning and literacy achievement in Grades 1 and 3 of primary school: A longitudinal study. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2017.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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20
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Angelelli P, Marinelli CV, Putzolu A, Notarnicola A, Iaia M, Burani C. Learning to Spell in a Language with Transparent Orthography: Distributional Properties of Orthography and Whole-Word Lexical Processing. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2017; 71:704-716. [PMID: 28052739 DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2016.1275715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paola Angelelli
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Chiara Valeria Marinelli
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
- IRCCS Foundation Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
| | - Anna Putzolu
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Alessandra Notarnicola
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Marika Iaia
- Department of History, Society and Human Studies, Laboratory of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy
| | - Cristina Burani
- ISTC–CNR, Rome, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Italy
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21
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Angelelli P, Marinelli CV, Iaia M, Putzolu A, Gasperini F, Brizzolara D, Chilosi AM. Spelling Impairments in Italian Dyslexic Children with and without a History of Early Language Delay. Are There Any Differences? Front Psychol 2016; 7:527. [PMID: 27148135 PMCID: PMC4835762 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Language delay is considered a frequent antecedent of literacy problems and both may be linked to phonological impairment. However, while several studies have examined the relationship between language delay and reading impairment, relatively few have focused on spelling. In this study, spelling performance of 28 children with developmental dyslexia (DD), 14 children with a history of language delay (LD), and 14 children without (NoLD) and 28 control participants were examined. Spelling was investigated by a writing to dictation task that included orthographically regular stimuli (word and non-words), as well as words with unpredictable transcription. Results indicated that all dyslexic participants underperformed compared to controls on both regular and unpredictable transcription stimuli, but LD performance was generally the worst. Moreover, spelling impairment assumed different characteristics in LD and NoLD children. LD children were more sensitive to acoustic-to-phonological variables, showing relevant failure especially on stimuli containing geminate consonants but also on polysyllabic stimuli and those containing non-continuant consonants. Error analysis confirmed these results, with LD children producing a higher rate of phonological errors respect to NoLD children and controls. Results were coherent with the hypothesis that among dyslexic children, those with previous language delay have more severe spelling deficit, suffering from defective orthographic lexical acquisition together with long-lasting phonological difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Angelelli
- Department of History Society and Human Studies - Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento Lecce, Italy
| | - Chiara V Marinelli
- Department of History Society and Human Studies - Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of SalentoLecce, Italy; IRCCS Foundation Santa LuciaRome, Italy
| | - Marika Iaia
- Department of History Society and Human Studies - Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento Lecce, Italy
| | - Anna Putzolu
- Department of History Society and Human Studies - Lab of Applied Psychology and Intervention, University of Salento Lecce, Italy
| | - Filippo Gasperini
- IRCCS Foundation Stella MarisPisa, Italy; Department of Developmental Neuroscience, University of PisaPisa, Italy
| | - Daniela Brizzolara
- IRCCS Foundation Stella MarisPisa, Italy; Department of Developmental Neuroscience, University of PisaPisa, Italy
| | - Anna M Chilosi
- IRCCS Foundation Stella MarisPisa, Italy; Department of Developmental Neuroscience, University of PisaPisa, Italy
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22
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Jones AC, Rawson KA. Do reading and spelling share a lexicon? Cogn Psychol 2016; 86:152-84. [PMID: 26999066 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2016.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2014] [Revised: 12/19/2015] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
In the reading and spelling literature, an ongoing debate concerns whether reading and spelling share a single orthographic lexicon or rely upon independent lexica. Available evidence tends to support a single lexicon account over an independent lexica account, but evidence is mixed and open to alternative explanation. In the current work, we propose another, largely ignored account--separate-but-shared lexica--according to which reading and spelling have separate orthographic lexica, but information can be shared between them. We report three experiments designed to competitively evaluate these three theoretical accounts. In each experiment, participants learned new words via reading training and/or spelling training. The key manipulation concerned the amount of reading versus spelling practice a given item received. Following training, we assessed both response time and accuracy on final outcome measures of reading and spelling. According to the independent lexica account, final performance in one modality will not be influenced by the level of practice in the other modality. According to the single lexicon account, final performance will depend on the overall amount of practice regardless of modality. According to the separate-but-shared account, final performance will be influenced by the level of practice in both modalities but will benefit more from same-modality practice. Results support the separate-but-shared account, indicating that reading and spelling rely upon separate lexica, but information can be shared between them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela C Jones
- Department of Psychological Science, John Carroll University, United States.
| | - Katherine A Rawson
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, United States
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Marinelli CV, Romani C, Burani C, Zoccolotti P. Spelling Acquisition in English and Italian: A Cross-Linguistic Study. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1843. [PMID: 26696918 PMCID: PMC4672065 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2015] [Accepted: 11/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We examined the spelling acquisition in children up to late primary school of a consistent orthography (Italian) and an inconsistent orthography (English). The effects of frequency, lexicality, length, and regularity in modulating spelling performance of the two groups were examined. English and Italian children were matched for both chronological age and number of years of schooling. Two-hundred and seven Italian children and 79 English children took part in the study. We found greater accuracy in spelling in Italian than English children: Italian children were very accurate after only 2 years of schooling, while in English children the spelling performance was still poor after 5 years of schooling. Cross-linguistic differences in spelling accuracy proved to be more persistent than the corresponding ones in reading accuracy. Orthographic consistency produced not only quantitative, but also qualitative differences, with larger frequency and regularity effects in English than in Italian children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara V Marinelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Rome La Sapienza Rome, Italy ; Neuropsychological Research Centre, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia Rome, Italy
| | - Cristina Romani
- School of Life and Health Science, Aston University Birmingham, UK
| | - Cristina Burani
- ISTC Institute for Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Rome, Italy ; Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste Trieste, Italy
| | - Pierluigi Zoccolotti
- Department of Psychology, University of Rome La Sapienza Rome, Italy ; Neuropsychological Research Centre, IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia Rome, Italy
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Bormann T, Romani C, Olson A, Wallesch CW. Morphological-compound dysgraphia in an aphasic patient: "A wild write through the lexicon". Cogn Neuropsychol 2014; 31:75-105. [PMID: 24517220 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2013.877879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
We describe the case of a dysgraphic aphasic individual--S.G.W.--who, in writing to dictation, produced high rates of formally related errors consisting of both lexical substitutions and what we call morphological-compound errors involving legal or illegal combinations of morphemes. These errors were produced in the context of a minimal number of semantic errors. We could exclude problems with phonological discrimination and phonological short-term memory. We also excluded rapid decay of lexical information and/or weak activation of word forms and letter representations since S.G.W.'s spelling showed no effect of delay and no consistent length effects, but, instead, paradoxical complexity effects with segmental, lexical, and morphological errors that were more complex than the target. The case of S.G.W. strongly resembles that of another dysgraphic individual reported in the literature--D.W.--suggesting that this pattern of errors can be replicated across patients. In particular, both patients show unusual errors resulting in the production of neologistic compounds (e.g., "bed button" in response to "bed"). These patterns can be explained if we accept two claims: (a) Brain damage can produce both a reduction and an increase in lexical activation; and (b) there are direct connections between phonological and orthographic lexical representations (a third spelling route). We suggest that both patients are suffering from a difficulty of lexical selection resulting from excessive activation of formally related lexical representations. This hypothesis is strongly supported by S.G.W.'s worse performance in spelling to dictation than in written naming, which shows that a phonological input, activating a cohort of formally related lexical representations, increases selection difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Bormann
- a Neurologische Universitätsklinik Freiburg , Freiburg , Germany
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Trenta M, Benassi M, Di Filippo G, Pontillo M, Zoccolotti P. Developmental dyslexia in a regular orthography: can the reading profile be reduced to strategic control? Cogn Neuropsychol 2013; 30:147-71. [PMID: 23905776 DOI: 10.1080/02643294.2013.814569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In languages with regular orthographies, the identification of different forms of reading impairment (such as surface or phonological dyslexia) has proved elusive. Alternatively, it has been proposed that different patterns of errors depend upon strategic choices on the part of the reader. The present study aimed to test this strategic interpretation by evaluating the effectiveness of instructions to read quickly (or accurately) in modifying the reading rate and types of errors of dyslexic children. Further, drawing on an error classification based on the contrast between sounding-out behaviour and word substitution, we examined the types of reading error that best characterize the deficit in a language with regular orthography (Italian). Thirty children with dyslexia and 30 chronologically age-matched controls read aloud passages and word lists with instructions to emphasize either rate or accuracy. When asked to read quickly, children with dyslexia increased their reading rate (although less than skilled children). However, the type of instructions had little influence on reading errors. Therefore, the results did not support the view that strategic control has an important role in modulating the types of reading errors made by children with dyslexia. For word lists, sounding-out behaviour, errors in stress assignment, and form-related nonwords were useful to correctly identifying children with dyslexia. For text passages, sounding-out behaviour and form-related errors were the best predictors of group membership. Thus, specific types of errors are a fundamental component of the reading deficit in children who speak a language with regular orthography over and above their reading slowness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Trenta
- a Department of Psychology , University of Rome "La Sapienza" , Rome , Italy
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