Developing a comprehensive model of risk and protective factors that can predict spelling at age seven: findings from a community sample of Victorian children |
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| Authors: | Tanya Anne Serry Anne Castles Fiona K Mensah Edith L Bavin Patricia Eadie Angela Pezic |
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| Institution: | 1. Discipline of Speech Pathology, La Trobe University, Melbourne Campus Bundoora, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia;2. Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Hearing Language and Literacy Group, Flemington Road Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australiat.serry@latrobe.edu.au;4. Department of Cognitive Science, ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and Disorders, Macquarie University, Sydney 2109, Australia;5. Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Unit, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, and Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Flemington Road, Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia;6. School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia;7. Audiology and Speech Pathology, University of Melbourne, 1-100 Grattan Street Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia;8. Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Hearing Language and Literacy Group, Flemington Road Parkville, Melbourne, Victoria 3052, Australia |
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| Abstract: | The paper reports on a study designed to develop a risk model that can best predict single-word spelling in seven-year-old children when they were aged 4 and 5. Test measures, personal characteristics and environmental influences were all considered as variables from a community sample of 971 children. Strong concurrent correlations were found between single-word spelling and single-word reading while expressive language and, to a lesser extent, receptive language were less strongly correlated. Predictors of single-word spelling at ages 4 and 5 were dominated by child-related factors such as letter knowledge, a history of speech impairment and expressive language along with maternal word reading ability. Based on the strength of the predictive factors identified at both age 4 and 5, our results provide initial support for using a targeted model for screening pre-schoolers at risk of not mastering spelling in a timely manner. |
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