Spelling Ability of Reading Disabled LD Students and Able Readers

The present study investigated differences in the spelling ability of two populations of elementary pupils: reading disabled students receiving learning disability services and able readers. Subjects consisted of three groups totaling 107 children. Pupils were matched on reading recognition ability with intelligence controlled for. Results revealed that reading disabled pupils differed from able readers of the same chronological age in phonetic spelling ability, nonphonetic spelling ability, and recognition spelling ability. It was concluded that the spelling ability of school-identified students with severe reading deficiencies was significantly inferior to that of reading able students.