Phonological (from the Greek word meaning ‘voice’) processing refers to using speech sounds for coding information when reading, speaking and listening. A difficulty with phonological skills is one of the most important identifiers of dyslexia. Children who have difficulties with phonological processing may be entitled to extra time during examinations. There are three areas of phonological processing that impact upon reading and spelling, as well as other areas of school life such as following a set of instructions:

Phonological Processing Speed:

This is the ability to retrieve phonological information from the long-term memory, which is a key skill when reading. It is the pace at which a person takes in, makes sense of and responds to information. This information could be visual, such as pictures, letters or numbers, or it could be auditory, such as spoken words. Having a slower processing speed has nothing to do with how intelligent a child is, it is about how fast they can take in and use information. These individuals may take a lot longer than their peers to perform tasks, both school-related and in daily life. Extra time should be given to allow pupils more thinking time during class activities and discussions as well as extra time for reading and writing tasks.

Here are some tips to support slower phonological processing:

Phonological Awareness

This is the ability to identify and manipulate the sounds of language. Testing a child’s phonological awareness does not involve any reading or spelling tasks, it is purely about their ability to identify, blend and segment units of sounds they can hear in words. Phonological awareness is also needed to be able to identify or produce pairs of rhyming words. In order to be successful with phonics (which involves matching the sounds of spoken English with individual letters or groups of letters) a child needs to have good phonological awareness. Children with dyslexia often struggle with phonological awareness, however, this is a trainable skill that often develops through extra intervention sessions.

Phonological Memory

Phonological memory is the ability to immediately process and recall sounds stored in the short-term memory. When you hear new information, your brain needs something to do with it or it disappears. Phonological memory is one component of the working memory.

Example of activities requiring phonological memory are:

·     Remembering someone’s name

·     Recalling new subject specific vocabulary

·     Remembering a set of instructions

·     Learning a new language

·     Spelling and reading activities

Pupils would benefit from having new vocabulary taught in advance, preferably using a multi-sensory approach, having a word bank of subject specific vocabulary that they can refer to in class as well as instructions being delivered in short, manageable chunks.