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English spelling is particularly difficult. Over the centuries the
pronunciation of English has deviated ever further away from the spelling.
Many languages have reformed their spelling to adjust to such changes, but
English has not. It teems
with spelling and pronunciation challenges… words like buffet, cousin,
canyon, cough, and mosquito.
What makes spelling even
more difficult is that the written form of the English language has an
inconsistent pattern. Only approximately 50% of spellings follow regular
phonetic rules. The irregular pattern is illustrated in the following
limericks:
A king, on assuming his
reign,
Exclaimed with a feeling
of peign:
“Tho I’m legally heir
No one here seems to ceir
That I haven’t been born
with a breign.”
A merchant addressing a
debtor,
Remarked in the course of
his lebtor,
That he chose to suppose,
A man knose what he ose,
And the sooner he pays it,
the bedtor!
And now our brief lesson
is through ―
I trust you’ll agree it
was trough;
For it’s chiefly designed
To impress on your migned
What wonders our spelling
can dough!
Although learning to spell
correctly is a difficult task to master for most children, it is
especially difficult — and sometimes impossible — if there are underlying
shortcomings. The skill of spelling embraces many subskills. Subskills of
particular importance are
- the ability to
analyze, i.e. to perceive the whole in its individual parts,
- auditory perception of
letter sounds and auditory memory,
- decoding
skills, and
- visual memory for
sequences.
Shortcomings in one or
more of these sub skills can greatly affect a person’s spelling ability.
Audiblox is effective in overcoming ― and preventing ― spelling
problems by addressing these underlying shortcomings.
Case Study
“I feel as if part of my daughter’s mind was trapped, and Audiblox
set her free,” wrote Tracy Adams in New Mexico.
“She’s always had some difficulty with language and has had trouble
processing information. She would be classified as dyslexic, although the
trouble is not limited to reading. She learned to read after three
tear-filled years ― I thought our troubles were over! However, she could
not spell AT ALL, not the simplest words, and could not seem to grasp how
anyone could ever learn how. Also, her handwriting/printing was
unrecognizable as such. It was as if she would forget in the middle of the
letter how to make it, then trail off into a scribble. Also, she has had a
great deal of trouble with math concepts.
“We began using the Audiblox spelling program 6 months ago, and the
results have been just stunning. Within a month, she was able to remember
how to spell a few words, and then just like a baby learning to talk, she
began to experience a rapid snowball effect. A few months after we began
using Audiblox, she said as we were driving around on errands ―
‘Mom, I think I know how to spell library.’ And she did! And this was not
an isolated moment, only the first. She is now almost an intuitive
speller. Really, it’s a miracle. Six months ago, her spelling tested at a
Kindergarten level, and is now at a 6th grade level. This is just still so
amazing to all of us who have struggled with her.
“Other benefits of using Audiblox have been her confidence level ―
right away she felt successful with the blocks. Also, her ability to use
language in general has improved greatly ― she speaks more expressively,
and she’s beginning to grasp punctuation. Her ability to focus on and
comprehend new ideas in math has improved too. Her handwriting has not
changed much, but I am going to begin with the Audiblox dysgraphia
program, and I am looking forward to the results!
“Audiblox was a shot in the dark for us when we were feeling
desperate. I’m so grateful that we discovered this before our daughter
spent more time failing unnecessarily.”
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