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Using children's errors in single -word reading to explore a theory of dyslexia within the reading process

Kenneth Allan Rath, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Abstract

A theory is presented to explain the reading patterns found among dyslexics through a single process of encoding representations binding phonology and orthography of units of varying numbers of letters within the lexical repertoire. Dyslexia is explained as a function of lack of clarity in the phonological input, resulting in more tenuously bound orthographical-phonological representations. With extensive exposure to the proper phonological input such bound representations can be formed, but the process is very effortful compared to that among unimpaired readers. In order to demonstrate this claim it is necessary to show that errors among dyslexics occur more frequently in low-frequency words, that more sound-related errors are made, that substitution errors are phonetically close to the proper sounds and that the LATAS intervention, which involves memorization of lists of words, would cause the word parts contained on the memorized lists to have correspondingly fewer errors when they are contained in words read by the individuals than other, non-practiced word parts. The paper proposes ways in which to test these claims.

Subject Area

Literacy|Reading instruction|Educational psychology

Recommended Citation

Rath, Kenneth Allan, "Using children's errors in single -word reading to explore a theory of dyslexia within the reading process" (2002). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI3039388.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI3039388

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