WIAT Orthographic Processing Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student writes 'becuase' instead of 'because'. Which orthographic skill is most directly impaired?
- Letter-sound correspondence
- Sequential letter order memory (Correct answer)
- Phonemic awareness
- Morphological analysis
Correct answer: Sequential letter order memory
Sequential letter order memory allows writers to recall the precise sequence of letters within a word, and misordering internal letters indicates a deficit in this skill.
Question 2: Which of the following tasks most directly assesses orthographic pattern recognition?
- Counting syllables in spoken words
- Identifying which of two spellings looks correct (Correct answer)
- Blending phonemes into words
- Naming letters of the alphabet
Correct answer: Identifying which of two spellings looks correct
Choosing the correctly spelled word from alternatives requires recognizing stored visual-orthographic patterns without relying solely on phonics.
Question 3: On the WIAT, orthographic processing tasks differ from phonological tasks primarily because orthographic tasks emphasize:
- Auditory discrimination of speech sounds
- Visual memory for letter sequences (Correct answer)
- Rapid automatized naming of colors
- Verbal working memory span
Correct answer: Visual memory for letter sequences
Orthographic processing centers on visual memory for the exact spelling patterns and letter sequences stored in the mental lexicon.
Question 4: A child can decode 'knight' correctly when reading but consistently spells it 'nite.' This pattern best reflects:
- Adequate orthographic lexicon with poor phonological awareness
- Poor orthographic lexicon with adequate phonological skills (Correct answer)
- Deficits in both phonological and orthographic processing
- Superior morphological awareness compensating for orthographic weakness
Correct answer: Poor orthographic lexicon with adequate phonological skills
Spelling 'nite' is phonetically plausible but orthographically incorrect, showing intact sound-based skills but a weak stored visual representation of the word.
Question 5: Which spelling error type is most characteristic of an orthographic processing deficit rather than a phonological deficit?
- Writing 'sed' for 'said'
- Writing 'wuz' for 'was'
- Writing 'frend' for 'friend' (Correct answer)
- Writing 'rane' for 'rain'
Correct answer: Writing 'frend' for 'friend'
'Frend' omits the silent letter 'i' that is not phonetically predictable, indicating failure to store the complete orthographic pattern rather than a phonological error.
Question 6: Orthographic mapping, as described by Ehri, refers to the process by which readers:
- Translate each grapheme into its corresponding phoneme during reading
- Form permanent connections between letter sequences and pronunciations in memory (Correct answer)
- Use context clues to infer the meaning of unfamiliar words
- Segment spoken words into individual phonemes
Correct answer: Form permanent connections between letter sequences and pronunciations in memory
Orthographic mapping is the bonding of a word's spelling to its pronunciation and meaning in long-term memory, enabling instant word recognition.
Question 7: Which instructional approach most directly targets orthographic processing deficits identified on the WIAT?
- Auditory discrimination exercises with minimal pairs
- Repeated reading for fluency practice
- Word sorting and word study focusing on visual spelling patterns (Correct answer)
- Phoneme segmentation and blending drills
Correct answer: Word sorting and word study focusing on visual spelling patterns
Word sorting by orthographic patterns builds the visual letter-sequence knowledge that is the core deficit in orthographic processing difficulties.
WIAT Orthographic Processing Skills 2
A student writes 'becuase' instead of 'because'.
Which orthographic skill is most directly impaired?