A Comparison of the Phonic Decoding Ability of Normal and Learning Disabled Children

Abstract

Twenty pairs of children from normal class placements (mean age = 8.0 years) and a learning disability program (mean age = 10.3 years) were matched on reading level, as measured by a test of basal word recognition, and on IQ. All children were tested on phonetically regular real and nonsense words to determine if the learning disabled children would have relative difficulty on tasks that measure the use of letter sounds in decoding. The normal readers were able to read significantly more regular real words and nonsense words than were the LD children. It is concluded that reading disabled children experience specific difficulty in learning to use the phonetic code to unlock unknown words. It is suggested that this deficiency interferes with the normal development of a child's reading vocabulary and is, therefore, an important causal factor in reading disorders. Implications of the results for corrective intervention are discussed briefly.