Training of Perceptual Unit Processing in Children With A Reading Disability

Abstract

A reading intervention program based on a computerized instructional system developed by Frederiksen was conducted over an 8-week period. The program was aimed at developing expertise in detecting multiletter units within words, which is an important reading skill component. The program was adjusted to the features of the Dutch language and tested on a sample of 33 nine- or ten-year-old children with reading difficulties. The participants were subdivided based on reading strategy: fast guessing or spelling. We hypothesized that perceptual coding and decoding skills would be improved by the training program. We also predicted that fast guessing readers would learn to detect letter units and to read words more accurately and that spelling participants would increase their speed. The children were matched to form an experimental group and a control group. Various test tasks were administered to determine both direct training effects on detection of multiletter units in words and transfer of training to other components of reading ability. The results showed increased perceptual coding skills for children in the training group compared with the control group. The children in the experimental group not only recognized (trained as well as new) multiletter units in words more quickly but also showed faster word decoding. A tendency toward a differential effect on reading strategy was found regarding word decoding only. In this respect, spellers tended to profit more from the speed training than did fast guessers from the accuracy exercise.

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