Abstract
We investigated the efficacy of two types of learning methods for Kanji writing in 14 Japanese children with developmental dyslexia.12 were third to sixth graders in Japanese primary schools, and the other two were seventh or eighth graders in Japanese junior high schools. One method was similar to that traditionally taught in schools (visual method) , and the other consisted of memorizing the construction of Kanji characters orally (auditory method) . Although the participants had average intelligence, language ability, and ability in auditory memory, they had disorders of phonological awareness and/or visual cognition including visual perception and memory. All participants improved in learning Kanji writing through the auditory method, and in 12 of the 14 participants this method was more effective than the visual method. These 12 participants had disorders of visual cognition and/or visual memory. Results were not significantly different between the two methods for the two participants who did not have disorders of visual cognitive processing. Results suggest the benefit of applying the auditory method to learning Kanji characters in Japanese children with developmental dyslexia.
