The Role of Phonology in the Word Decoding Skills of Poor Readers: Evidence from Individuals with Prelingual Deafness or Diagnosed Dyslexia

Abstract

This study seeks to clarify the relation between the phonological skills of both dyslectic readers and prelingually deafened readers and their ability to conceptually process written stimuli. Data was gathered by means of a test designed for the assessment of orthographic and phonemic awareness, and a categorization paradigm designed for the examination of written word processing skills. Twenty individuals with diagnosed dyslexia (grade = 9.05), 11 individuals with prelingual deafness (grade = 8.18), and 25 normally-developing hearing readers (n = 25, grade = 9.00) participated in the study. In general, findings indicate that the reading disorders manifested by dyslectic and deaf readers have different origins none of which is directly related to their phonological abilities. It is suggested that in prelingually deafened readers, but maybe also in dyslectic readers, teachers should foster the development of orthographic knowledge as the basis for proficient reading without making such development contingent on the processing of the phonology of written words.