Computerized training of the correspondences between phonological and orthographic units

The outcomes of computerized training in the correspondences between phonological and orthographic units are reported. Forty-four Finnish-speaking first-graders with poor pre-reading skills were assigned to one of two groups, intervention or control. The children in the intervention group received computerized training over a 6-week period (mean 170 minutes in total) while the children in the control group received regular reading instruction only. Although the short intervention program produced accelerated growth in letter naming, no differential outcomes emerged between the groups in terms of reading acquisition. The outcomes for the poorest performers on six cognitive-linguistic disadvantages were analysed to identify the factors mediating responsiveness to the training. In terms of reading acquisition, the intervention was more effective than ordinary instruction for children with low phoneme awareness skills and attention difficulties as defined by teacher ratings.