Learn How Words Work: Spelling Development, Assessment and Intervention

Presenter: Jenny Baker

This 1-day Continuing Professional Development (CPD) event is intended for Speech-Language Therapists working in the field of literacy, Teachers in mainstream as well as Learning Support, Educational Psychologists, Tutors and final year students of speech-language therapy and education.

Following this event participants will:

• To identify the different stages of spelling development from early phonological awareness through to advanced orthographic representations
• To “unpack” the scope and sequence of a structured synthetic phonics program
• To understand the rule-based principles that underlie much of our spelling system
• To become aware of the cognitive, orthographic and linguistic contributions to the spelling system
• To become familiar with a range of assessment procedures
• To apply a diagnostic framework to the analysis of spelling errors
• To develop strategies for goal setting
• To select evidenced-based principles, practices and programs for effective spelling instruction.

The workshop will examine how spelling proceeds in the typically developing child; it will also explore how poor processing and delayed language can affect its developmental route. In addition, a major part of the day will be devoted to showcasing evidenced-based assessment as well as intervention techniques. The workshop will focus on spelling development in Y1–6, but the principles can be applied to high school students as well. Problem based clinical activities will be used to consolidate the discussion throughout the workshop. Intervention principles will emphasise explicit and systematic instruction as well as the response to intervention model. At a clinical level, participants will learn how to apply these principles in order to develop a tailored intervention within a variety of service delivery frameworks.