Mercedes Rodrigo

Do the Effects of Computer-Assisted Practice Differ for Children with Reading Disabilities With and Without IQ—Achievement Discrepancy?

This study was designed to assess whether the effects of computer-assisted practice on visual word recognition differed for children with reading disabilities (RD) with or without aptitude—achievement discrepancy. A sample of 73 Spanish children with low reading performance was selected using the discrepancy method, based on a standard score comparison (i.e., the difference between IQ and achievement standard scores). The sample was classified into three groups: (1) a group of 14 children with dyslexia (age M = 103.85 months; SD = 8.45) who received computer-based reading practice; (2) a group of 31 “garden-variety” (GV) poor readers (age M = 107.06 months; SD = 6.75) who received the same type of instruction; and (3) a group of 28 children with low reading performance (age M = 103.33 months; SD = 9.04) who did not receive computer-assisted practice. Children were pre- and posttested in word recognition, reading comprehension, phonological awareness, and visual and phonological tasks. The results indicated that both computer-assisted intervention groups showed improved word recognition compared to the control group. Nevertheless, children with dyslexia had more difficulties than GV poor readers during computer-based word reading under conditions that required extensive phonological computation, because their performance was more affected by low-frequency words and long words. In conclusion, we did not find empirical evidence in favor of the IQ—achievement discrepancy definition of reading disability, because IQ did not differentially predict treatment outcomes.

Computer Speech-Based Remediation for Reading Disabilities: The Size of Spelling-to-Sound Unit in a Transparent Orthography

This study was designed to assess the effects of four reading-training procedures for children with reading disabilities (RD) in a transparent orthography, with the aim of examining the effects of different spelling-to-sound units in computer speech-based reading. We selected a sample of 83 Spanish children aged between 7 years 1 month and 10 years 6 months (M = 105.2, SD = 7.8) whose pseudoword reading performance was below the 25th percentile and IQ > 90. The participants were randomly assigned to five groups: (a) the whole-word training group (WW) (n = 17), (b) the syllable training group (S)(n = 16), (c) the onset-rime training group (OR) (n = 17), (d) the phoneme training group (P) (n = 15), and (e) the untrained control group (n = 18). Children were pre- and post-tested in word recognition, reading comprehension, phonological awareness, and orthographic and phonological tasks. The results indicate that experimental groups who participated in the phoneme and syllable conditions improved their word recognition in comparison with the control group. In addition, dyslexics who participated in the phoneme, syllable, and onset-rime conditions made a greater number of requests during computer-based word reading under conditions that required extensive phonological computation (low frequency words and long words). Reading time, however, was greater for long words in the phoneme group during computer-based reading. These results suggest the importance of training phonological processes in improving word decoding in children with dyslexia who learn in a consistent orthography.

Locus and Nature of Perceptual Phonological Deficit in Spanish Children With Reading Disabilities

The aims of this study were (a) to determine whether Spanish children with reading disabilities (RD) show a speech perception deficit and (b) to explore the locus and nature of this perceptive deficit. A group of 29 children with RD, 41 chronological age—matched controls, and 27 reading ability—matched younger controls were tested on tasks of speech perception. The effect of linguistic unit (word vs. syllable) and type of phonetic contrast (voicing, place and manner of articulation) were analyzed in terms of the number of errors and the response time. The results revealed a speech perception deficit in Spanish children with RD that was independent of the type of phonetic contrast and of linguistic unit.

Is the deficit in phonological awareness better explained in terms of task differences or effects of syllable structure

The primary purpose of the study reported here was to explore the effects of the complexity of syllable structure and the effects of task differences in the explanation of deficit in phonological awareness (PA). A sample of 97 subjects was selected and organized into three different groups: 29 reading-disabled (RD) children, 41 normal readers matched in age with the former, and 27 younger normal readers at the same reading level as those with reading disabilities. We administered PA tasks which included items with different complexity of syllable structure. The results showed that the complexity of syllable structure had no particularly marked effect on the dyslexic children. Rather, the isolation task revealed the phonological deficit across all syllable structures.

Procedimientos de evaluación e intervención en el aprendizaje de la lectura y sus dificultades desde una perspectiva cognitive

En este trabajo se presenta un dossier bibliografico que hace referencia a procedimientos de evaluacion y de intervencion sobre el aprendizaje de la lectura y sus dificultades desde la perspectiva cognitiva. Asimismo, se revisan algunas de las aportaciones mas relevantes de la psicologia cognitiva al estudio de la lectura, tanto en su adquisicion como en las dificultades que pueda presentar el logro de esta habilidad. Los contenidos se organizan en torno a diversos temas tales como los mecanismos cognitivos que hacen posible la lectura, la transicion de prelector a lector competente, los metodos de ensenanza y su incidencia en el desarrollo de la lectura, las creencias de los profesores sobre como ensenar a leer y las dificultades lectoras. El dossier bibliografico esta organizado en torno a los topicos mencionados

Desarrollo de las habilidades fonológicas y ortográficas en niños normolectores y con dislexia durante la educación primaria

Resumen El objetivo de este trabajo fue investigar el papel que juega las habilidades fonológicas y ortográficas en el desarrollo de la lectura de niños españoles normolectores y con dislexia. La muestra total de estudio estaba formada por 397 alumnos de 2° a 6° nivel de primaria, de los cuales 308 alumnos fueron clasificados como normolectores y 89 alumnos con dislexia. Se evaluaron las habilidades fonológicas y ortográficas aplicando las tareas de la Batería Multimedia SICOLE-R. Los resultados indicaron que hubo diferencias entre ambos grupos, de forma que aunque tanto el grupo de normolectores como de disléxicos mostraron una progresión en la adquisición de las habilidades fonológicas y ortográficas, en el caso de los disléxicos esta progresión ocurre con una mayor lentitud. Finalmente, nuestros resultados apuntan a que la relación entre las habilidades fonológicas y ortográficas difiere en función del grupo, así en el grupo de normolectores existe un umbral de habilidad fonológica a partir del cual se produce una mayor progresión de la habilidad ortográfica, mientras que en el grupo de disléxicos no se encontró dicho patrón.