Spelling is one of those things that some children get automatically by doing copy work and reading good literature. Some children on the other hand need spelling remediation in order to be a decent speller. Here in Autismland, we have both. Because of course we do.
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Is high school too late for spelling remediation?
Absolutely NOT! Spelling is one of those skills that even adults could probably use some remediation. Spelling doesn’t come naturally to everyone, but when you have a child with learning disabilities, it can become an ongoing struggle.
My teens have plodded along, correcting the spellings as I’ve I asked them to but not paying close enough attention to what they write or why it was incorrect. I’ve corrected, cajoled, and reminded for the past couple of years since we stopped “officially” doing spelling.
Charlotte Mason says that a child never gaze upon a misspelling when learning a new word. The chance to memorize the wrong spelling is too great. For my neurodivergent learners with photographic memories, misspellings were becoming habitual. Time to change approaches!
The trouble is that we didn’t get anywhere.
They repeated the same simple mistakes over and over again. They weren’t learning how to spell, just correcting when they were instructed it was needed. The results of our yearly standardized testing showed a glaring gap in the area of spelling. I wanted to bang my head on the table in frustration.
Common errors they were making that needed spelling remediation
- Not knowing how to add an ending (dropping an /e/ or doubling a consonant, for instance)
- Improper word choice when it comes to homophones and homonyms
- Leaving out silent letters (as in ‘solemn’ or ‘yolk’)
- Adding letters that shouldn’t be there or missing letters that should
- Wrong phonogram choice (‘rens’ instead of ‘wrens’)
High school seems late to work on spelling remediation
The great part of homeschooling is that you can do whatever your children needs at any time. It’s your homeschool. Do what’s best for your children and don’t let anyone tell you different.
We have always worked at various levels with our children in each subject. The only grade levels we assign is when we go to Sunday School and even then I go with my kids’ developmental age not chronological.
Here’s what I’ve discovered about spelling remediation with high schoolers
They don’t drag it out.
What teenager wants to spend even an HOUR working on SPELLING? Not mine. Even dealing with autism and dyslexia hasn’t hindered us from getting through the lessons quickly and painlessly. I attribute this to their maturity level, a longer attention span, and all of the teens being in the same boat.
They become motivated.
After our first lesson, which went quickly, they wanted to do another. We now do two lessons per day and will complete Level 1 by January, when we will begin Level 2. They want to be better spellers and that’s half the battle right there.
They become better spellers.
Better spelling is inevitable with teenagers because their brains are wired to see a bigger picture than when they were younger. This is not an option with a second or fourth-grader,
A lot can be said for doing spelling remediation with older students. But a lot can be said for doing it with younger students. Point is if you end up with older students who need spelling remediation don’t berate yourself. Know that it can be done quickly and easily with just a bit of effort.
