Dataset

The study examines lexical processing and the reliance to knowledge about the distributional properties of reading/spelling among dyslexic adults. The first experiment used an orthographic judgment task to test stimulus regularity, typicality of transcription and word frequency. Dyslexic adults show a lexical deficit, with limited expansion of their orthographic lexicon and difficulty in recognizing phonologically plausible errors. However, they used distributional properties to compensate for their deficiencies with low-frequency words, improving their performance in judging irregular words with typical segments. The second experiment examined the spelling of words with regular transcription and irregular words with typical or atypical segments. Dyslexic adults show a lexical deficit with greater effects of frequency and regularity of transcription. However, they used distributional properties to compensate for their difficulties with irregular words with typical segments. The third experiment used a spelling task with articulatory suppression. In dual-task conditions, controls were modulated by regularity and typicality. The greatest difficulties in dyslexic adults emerged with atypical irregular words compared to typical irregular and regular words. This study highlighted a reduced lexical processing capacity and an over-reliance on the sublexical procedure. However, dyslexic adults resorted to distributional properties to compensate for their difficulties, in both reading and spelling.