Are there special methods for teaching children who find spelling hard?
Yes. Research indicates that these children need – explicit teaching – to follow a structured and sequential program – to learn through multisensory strategies so they can use many senses at the same time – seeing, hearing, speaking and writing – to establish the spelling firmly in memory – repetition. Probably much more than they and you have the patience for! Try to vary the practice, make it fun by playing games, setting goals and providing rewards, keeping sessions short (5-10 minutes using a timer) and frequent (preferably daily) Recognised programs include those derived from Orton-Gillingham principles.
