Understanding Phonetic Learning Disability
Specific learning disability means a disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
Specific learning disability does not include learning problems that are primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of intellectual disability, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage.
Dyslexia as a Specific Learning Disability
Dyslexia is included in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) as a specific learning disability (SLD). Dyslexia impacts reading, specifically decoding and accurate and/or fluent word recognition and spelling.
Dyslexia is neurobiological in origin and is unexpected and/or inconsistent with a student’s other abilities often despite the provision of appropriate instruction. Typically, students with dyslexia have strengths in areas such as reasoning, critical thinking, concept formation, problem-solving, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and social communication (e.g., conversation).
Dysphonetic and Dyseidetic: Two Aspects of Dyslexia
The terms ‘dysphonetic’ and ‘dyseidetic’ are words used to describe typical symptoms of dyslexia.
Dysphonetic Definition
The person labeled ‘dysphonetic’ has difficulty connecting sounds to symbols and might have a hard time sounding out words, and spelling mistakes would show a very poor grasp of phonics.
Dyseidetic Definition
The ‘dyseidetic’ individual, on the other hand, generally has a good grasp of phonetic concepts but has great difficulty with whole word recognition and spelling. Typically, the dyseidetic person will spell in a way that words can be easily deciphered phonetically but which may be very far from being correct.
The Role of Phonics in Remedial Programs
Most remedial programs tend to emphasize phonics. This will help the ‘dysphonetic’ dyslexic somewhat, but does not address all underlying problems associated with dyslexia. Unfortunately, the phonics-based programs will not help the ‘dyseidetic’ dyslexic at all.
Here is a table summarizing the key differences and approaches for dysphonetic and dyseidetic individuals:
| Characteristic | Dysphonetic | Dyseidetic |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Difficulty | Connecting sounds to symbols | Whole word recognition |
| Phonics Grasp | Poor | Good |
| Spelling | Poor grasp of phonics | Phonetically decipherable but incorrect |
| Effectiveness of Phonics-Based Programs | Somewhat helpful | Not helpful |
