Measuring word identification skills and related variables in Dutch children

In this chapter a simple definition of dyslexia is adopted: Ward identification ability below a certain performance criterion on a suitable word identification test. In Study 1, the research focus is on two word identification tests, a real-word test (RWT) and a pseudoword test (PWT). The question is: Are these tests differentially sensitive to phonological and lexical 'routes' or subcomponents of word identification ability? Beginning readers are supposed to use the phonological word identification component in both tests, whereas more experienced readers make use of the lexical component while reading the RWT words. Because the PWT words - except parts of them - are new, the lexical component cannot (fully) be used in the PWT. If the two subcomponents exist, a decreasing correlation between RWT and PWT scores is expected with increasing reading performance age. The results of the Study 1 show little evidence in favor of this prediction. Correlations between RWT and PWT scores remain high at elementary grade levels. It is suggested that the Dutch RWT and PWT are not differentially sensitive to different word identification component skills. In Study 2, two recently proposed aspects of underlying reading processes were investigated: Sensitivity at the level of phonological cluster discrimination, and naming speed of symbols. ?he results of stepwise regression analyses clearly support the predictions that beginning readers and dyslexic readers show the same predictive structure. Naming speed was the only significant predictor of word identification. On the other hand in more experienced readers the phonological sensitivity was the main predictor variable. Therefore, it was concluded that the reading performance of dyslexic children is mainly limited by mental speed capacity, as it is the case in normal beginning readers.