It's difficult enough for children to deal with reading and spelling problems, more so comprehending written material.
One of the most important skills a child could learn is reading comprehension, and it can only be acquired when reading and spelling problems are first straightened out.
It's true that there are preschoolers who can manage with regular storytelling and easily comprehend what had just been read to them, but they would have to learn how to read by themselves eventually.
Fluency in reading is an important academic skill that a student must master. In 1974, the theory of automaticity by LaBerge and Samuels was proposed, and it argued that kids who struggle with decoding (in reading) "use up their attentional resources" and thus have little attention left for comprehension (Coleman & Heller, 2010).
Common reading disabilities and intervention
Dyslexia, a wide-ranging learning disability, is characterized by a slow learning of new words, low letter knowledge, and letter reversal.
In early primary school children, those with dyslexia may also have difficulties associating sounds with the letters which represent them. They rely heavily on phonetics when attempting to spell words (Saeman, 2007).
Dysgraphia, on the other hand, is a deficiency in writing ability. At times, children diagnosed with dysgraphia commit a lot of spelling mistakes and feel physical pain when writing, and this may lead to stress.
Both conditions contribute greatly to various reading and spelling problems, and are seldom diagnosed early on. Moreover, there are many students with these disabilities but are in mainstream schools.
Interventions range from the use of drugs to performing exercises (standing on a wobble board or ball, walking downstairs backwards with eyes closed, and throwing a bean bag from one hand to another) as studied by two professors from Exeter and Sheffield Universities (Hope, 2006).
The design of their treatment program, patterned after moves used by astronauts, is based on their theory that the disorder comes from a lack of coordination.
For dysgraphia, experts recommend treating the motor disorders to help manage writing movements. Others propose the use of computers to avoid the problems associated with handwriting.
There is, of course, the need to improve the knowledge of parents, teachers, and the general public on these specific learning disabilities.
Karande, et al (2009) recommend remedial classes conducted by the schools, as parents can seldom afford remedial teachers working in the private sector.
However, parents can take it upon themselves to look for excellently designed software that could tackle their children's reading and spelling challenges and encourage them to work independently.
Multisensory software
To make challenged students engaged and interested in developing their spelling skills, it helps to use software that stimulates both their visual and auditory senses.
The Ultimate Spelling software, for instance, provides multiple usage samples, photos, and audio pronunciations that could serve the same purpose of sight words – only without the monotony of Dolch and Fry word lists.
Apart from the Ultimate Spelling software, parents can interest their kids in time-tested word games such as Scrabble, Boggle, hangman, and crosswords.
References:
Coleman, M B & Heller, K W 2010, 'Use of repeated reading with computer modeling to promote reading fluency with students who have physical disabilities', The Journal of Special Education Technology, viewed 7 July 2010,
Hope, J 2006. Hope for millions as scientists find 'cure' for dyslexia. Daily Mail. [internet] 30 June. Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-413354/Hope-millions-scientists-cure-dyslexia.html [Accessed 7 July 2010].
Karande, S, Mahajan, V & Kulkarni, M 2009, 'Recollections of learning-disabled adolescents of their schooling experiences: A qualitative study'. Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, vol. 63, no. 9, pp. 382-391.
Saeman, J 2007, Learning Disabilities and Late Intervention, Education Articles, viewed 6 July 2010,