As speech-language pathologists, our primary goal is to enhance the reading and communication skills of children. The study "Developmental Letter Position Dyslexia in Turkish, a Morphologically Rich and Orthographically Transparent Language" by Güven and Friedmann (2019) offers critical insights that can be instrumental in achieving this goal. This blog aims to translate the key findings of this study into actionable strategies for practitioners.
Understanding Letter Position Dyslexia (LPD)
LPD is a specific type of dyslexia where children struggle with encoding the positions of letters within words, leading to letter migrations. For instance, "slime" might be read as "smile." This type of dyslexia has been studied in languages like Hebrew, Arabic, and English, but Güven and Friedmann’s study is the first to explore it in Turkish.
Key Findings
- Letter Migrations: Turkish-speaking children with LPD made significant letter migrations, particularly in the middle of words.
- Consonant-Vowel Distinction: Migrations were more frequent among consonants than between consonants and vowels.
- Frequency Effect: More errors occurred when the target word was less frequent than its migration counterpart.
- Morphological Structure: The morphological complexity of words did not affect the rate of letter migrations.
Implementing Findings in Practice
Here are some practical steps for speech-language pathologists to consider:
- Diagnostic Tools: Use reading tests that include migratable words to accurately diagnose LPD. The FRIGÜ screening test used in the study is a good model.
- Targeted Interventions: Focus on exercises that help children practice letter positions, especially in the middle of words. Utilize frequent and less frequent word pairs to enhance letter position encoding.
- Consonant Focus: Given the higher migration rates among consonants, incorporate specific drills that target consonant recognition and positioning.
- Orthographic Training: Develop activities that enhance the orthographic-visual analysis stage, as this is where the deficit lies.
Encouraging Further Research
The study opens several avenues for further research. For instance, exploring LPD in other morphologically rich and orthographically transparent languages could provide additional insights. Practitioners are encouraged to collaborate with researchers to develop more comprehensive diagnostic and intervention tools.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link: Developmental Letter Position Dyslexia in Turkish, a Morphologically Rich and Orthographically Transparent Language
