ABSTRACT
Dictionary skills are important and dyslexics in particular need specific help to learn them because they do not just absorb them by being around and using books. People need a secure knowledge of the alphabet in order to use a variety of resources such as dictionaries, indexes, telephone directories, brochures, references and lists of various kinds. It is most important to buy a 'good' dictionary. This will contain five different types of information on each of its words: spelling, pronunciation, meaning, origin, related words. Because dyslexics have acquired alphabet knowledge late it will mean their skimming and scanning skills are poor just as their reading is slow and often hesitant. All these skills benefit from direct training and the earlier the skills can be acquired the more fluent they can become. To distinguish it and encourage them in the problem solving and analysis of their misspellings it was called the 'Spelling Detective Approach'.
