Title: Spelling treatment for an individual with dysgraphia: Analysis of generalisation to untrained words
Abstract: Abstract Background: Despite the fact that spelling impairments are common following left hemisphere injury, only a limited number of studies have examined effects of treatments for acquired spelling disorders. In general, following spelling treatment, individuals with spelling impairments related to the orthographic output lexicon have demonstrated improvements restricted to trained words, whereas individuals with impairments of the graphemic buffer demonstrate spelling improvements for both trained and untrained items. Aims: This study was designed to examine patterns of spelling generalisation following treatment in an individual whose spelling impairment related to disruption affecting at least these two stages in the spelling process. Methods & Procedures: Assessment of spelling abilities in one gentleman, NM, with severe agraphia indicated impairment related to the orthographic output lexicon and graphemic buffer stages of spelling. In a single subject experimental treatment design, we employed a copy and recall treatment for two sets of words trained sequentially, and examined generalisation of training improvements to untrained words with similar beginning or ending spellings and nonwords. Outcomes & Results: NM improved spelling of two sets of trained words. He also demonstrated generalised improvements in spelling some untrained whole words. Generalisation was greater for parts of untrained words that were similar in spelling to trained words, and was also greater for the beginnings compared to the endings of words. Conclusions: We contend that the pattern of spelling generalisation observed in NM implicates improvements affecting two stages of spelling. Greater improvements when spelling beginning or ending parts of untrained words with similar spellings to trained words implicates changes mediated by the orthographic output lexicon. Improvements for some untrained words and an advantage to beginning over ending spellings suggests strengthening of the graphemic buffer. These spelling improvements also led to a functional impact on NM's use of spelling in daily activities.
Publication Year: 2003
Publication Date: 2003-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
Access and Citation
Cited By Count: 27
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