Dysorthography is a written expression disorder that is often overlooked, but research is making progress in better understanding it and adjusting support. Recent work sheds light on the cognitive mechanisms, rehabilitation methodologies and the role of digital tools in providing support. This article offers an overview of the advances worth remembering — and how to put them into practice to help the children and adolescents concerned.
What the research reveals
Recently, studies have highlighted the growing importance of the visual-orthographic lexical route — that is, the ability to memorise the form of words — in spelling. When a child struggles to automate this route, they rely excessively on phonetic transcription, which leads to many errors (omissions, substitutions, regular mistakes). nord.apedys.org+2CHU Sainte-Justine+2
Furthermore, some work shows that repeated and varied exposure to written forms — through reading, targeted dictation or vocabulary enrichment — fosters more effective “implicit rehabilitation”. The idea is to strengthen neural connections without relying on constant correction.
In the technological field, dynamic analysis of handwriting traces on a tablet (speed, pressure, accelerations) now makes it possible to identify patterns characteristic of dysorthography, in addition to traditional speech and language therapy tests. This “digital” approach makes diagnosis more precise and personalisable.
Towards more suitable rehabilitation methods
With these new discoveries, rehabilitation strategies are evolving. A major consequence is the reduction of long, uniform sessions in favour of short, varied and thematic modules. For example, working solely on the orthographic memory of a group of words, the agreement of gender/number in another session, and so on.
Another avenue concerns multimodality: involving sight, speech and gesture (writing with a finger in sand, on tablets) to strengthen the links between the phonological and lexical routes. This builds on the idea that written learning is not purely verbal, but also sensory.
Finally, adaptive and personalised approaches are increasingly valued: tailoring exercises to the profile (phonological, surface or mixed dysorthography) helps avoid discouragement and supports better progress.
Integrating technology into support
Digital innovations play a growing role in support. For example, Dys’tap.io can offer targeted spelling exercises, adjusting the difficulty according to the child’s errors. Thanks to instant feedback, the child understands their mistakes and can correct them more quickly.
Likewise, AidToi turns scientific findings into resources accessible to families and teachers: practical sheets, activity suggestions, tutorials. These resources make it possible to put the recommendations arising from research into practice, at home or in the classroom.
In practice: recommendations to remember
- Diversify learning modalities — reading, targeted dictation, visual exercises — to stimulate cognitive connections.
- Split sessions into short, regular modules rather than marathon sessions.
- Adapt exercises to the learner’s profile (phonological vs lexical) to avoid exhausting them.
- Use technology wisely: tablets, interactive software, adaptive platforms.
- Encourage continuity between school, home and rehabilitation to maximise the effects.
