Characteristics of Kanji Word Reading in Japanese Children with Developmental Dyslexia

—Using Screening Test of Reading and Writing for Japanese Primary School Children (STRAW)—

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify the characteristics of Kanji word reading among Japanese children with developmental dyslexia. We analyzed errors and examined the effects of lexical properties in reading aloud Kanji words in 37 developmental dyslexia cases and 991 children with normal development using the Screening Test of Reading and Writing for Japanese Primary School Children (STRAW). The results of the error analysis suggested that the dyslexic group showed significantly more word substitution errors and no responses than the normal group, while the incidence of legitimate alternative reading component errors was lower. In terms of effects of lexical properties, imageability effects on reading aloud both high- and low-familiarity printed Kanji words were evident in the dyslexic group. The dyslexic group in this study had deficits in both phonological and visual information processing, and the findings suggest that these characteristics of Kanji word reading result from the cognitive disability of this group. These findings would be useful information for diagnosing and developing a learning method for children with developmental dyslexia.