When do you give up on spelling?

[A home for their hearts]

My dd14 is a terrible speller.  We've tried everything, LOE, AAS, Apples Daily Spelling Drills, Megawords.  She can do the work, but it rarely transfers over to her writing.  I'm about ready to say, forget it, she is just a bad speller and move on. 

[JessMcG]

My spelling challenged child is only 8, so I'm not close to giving up yet.  Is your dd dyslexic?  I suspect that is the cause of my ds's troubles.  

[CyndiLJ]

Now.

 

Mine is 14 as well, and it is time to accept that not everyone will be a good speller, and to thank the Good Lord for spell check!

 

Move on, dear one, move on.  It's not the end of the world (or so I keep telling myself! Haha!).

[Ellie]

My dd14 is a terrible speller.  We've tried everything, LOE, AAS, Apples Daily Spelling Drills, Megawords.  She can do the work, but it rarely transfers over to her writing.  I'm about ready to say, forget it, she is just a bad speller and move on. 

 

Never.

 

She's 14? I'm wondering how long you did each of those spelling methods/products with her.

 

Correct her misspelled words relentlessly, in every subject, for all time. She'll either figure out that she should use all the knowledge she has, or she'll realize that her brain doesn't work that way and will learn to check her spelling with a dictionary (which she should learn to use) or spell-check (when she does stuff on the computer, which won't be everything, so she'll need to learn to check her spelling on her own).

[Walking-Iris]

I have a completely different opinion on spelling.

 

I have heard stories of people just accepting terrible spelling. I never could.

 

If it were just an occasional misspelling, or the need to have a reminder about a spelling, I wouldn't worry. But if it was a constant, across the board spelling problem, I'd keep working on it and seek help. 

 

ETA: a child who doesn't learn to spell, who grows into an adult who has trouble spelling, would possibly have some self-consciousness issues about it. My BIL can't spell, and I've seen him struggle to cover it up and make excuses in an embarrassed sort of manner. I personally would not give up on it. 

 

Also I wonder how well a child understands phonics/reading if they struggle with spelling. 

 

 

 

[SkateLeft]

I bought a little handheld electronic spelling dictionary for my 7th grader at the start of this year. We'll continue with spelling next year, but probably drop it in high school. He's got all the tools, and he's made some improvement this year, but I'm starting to think that there isn't anything more to be gained by formal spelling curricula.

 

The little electronic dictionary slips into his binder and lets him go to co-op and Boy Scouts and participate without getting embarrassed because he can't spell something.

[Jilly]

Some students will never learn the spelling rules no matter what instruction they receive. My oldest son is one of those students, and I stopped his spelling lessons a couple of years ago. Prior to that all spelling lessons resulted in tears and nothing helped. He works primarily on the computer due to physical limitations and luckily this helps with his spelling by correcting most of his mistakes and by making him aware of the mistakes.

 

I will add that at the time I was struggling with this issue I heard a talk by SWB. She mentioned that there are some kids who will always be terrible spellers and there is no point in making them struggle through a spelling curriculum. That made me feel so much better. 

[LucyStoner]

My niece (age 12) struggles with spelling (hearing issues) and she actually has really improved using the same technique I used with my natural speller when he was little.

He got a binder with alpha tabs. Every single time he asked how to spell a word, I made him write it first in his dictionary. Then if he asked about a word again he had to find it in his dictionary. He went from constantly asking me how to spell something to knowing how to spell exceptionally well. We recently reinstated this (with printed forms for all the details he now needs) for spelling bee prep. He enters any word he misses on the first try into the binder. He makes a flashcard for any word he misses after he's entered it into the binder (well binderS at this point).

[LucyStoner]

FWIW despite being a voracious reader with a near perfect verbal SAT score I was a truly terrible speller until college. When I got married (while still in college) I divorced my spell checker and just asked my husband how to spell things as I typed.

This strategy only works for people who recognize their misspellings. I may not have known how to spell but I nearly always knew an incorrect spelling on sight, lol.

[Lucy]

I'm dropping spelling after 8th for my dd, she's just no good at it.  Everything she does is typed now, and she can use the spell checker.  Her reading skills are off the charts, she's a very good writer - I just don't see the necessity to keep beating spelling into her when it doesn't stick and it frustrates her day.

 

BTW, I'm an author and a horrible speller, so I understand and feel her frustration - and I know from experience that it's not really a big deal.

[Loowit]

My older DS was recently evaluated by the schools for his reading and spelling problems.  He can't spell well at all.  He didn't test behind enough for services but when I did ask the room of evaluators about spelling and their advice, they all told me that he is lucky we have spell check now.  :huh:   I didn't care for that answer, but at the same time I can't see making my DS bang his head against the wall for years and years when it just isn't working (learning the spell).  It has affected his self esteem even though I have put no pressure on him at all.

 

He has coding issues (diagnosed a few years ago when testing for autism) and I think that plays a role.  And I still strongly suspect dyslexia, though sadly I can't afford to get the testing done. My current plan is to finish Apples and Pears with him. He is on Book C right now and only about 1/3 of the way through.  Once he finishes Book D, whenever that is, we will be done.  I just don't see him getting much improvement beyond that.  He has improved some with Apples and Pears, but he still isn't spelling at grade level or even close to it.  On the plus side it has helped him with sentence structure.  We also keep a book around that DH used as a kid called "How to Spell It" that he can use to look up commonly misspelled words.  But realistically he does most of his work on the computer and spell check is a help as long as he can get the word close enough that the computer knows what he is trying to spell.

[ChrissySC]

While I did not read the above comments in detail, I have to stop you right now! 

 

When you write, you complete a draft.  The point of the draft is not grammar or spelling.  The draft is the beginning.  The second draft will begin to show organization.  As the piece begins to get nearer to the "published state", you should start to see corrections.  By the final draft, or published piece, the corrections should be complete.

 

The problem is NOT the spelling.  The problem is the writing process.

 

You do not need to address the spelling.  You should address the proofing and editing of the writing during the draft stage.  If the writer results to phonetically spelling a word during the draft, that is fine.  However, and a big however here, this is an indication that a dictionary or spellchecker (if typing) should be consulted for the proper spelling of the word.

 

Teach the student to proof and edit.

 

There are workbooks and websites in abundance devoted to this skill.  It is not easily learned.  Use the checklists, proofing marks, etc.  Resist the urge to make the correction yourself.  Mark the paper for correction at some point during the draft stage.

 

BTW, bad spelling does not have to be the result of a learning disability. 

[lewelma]

Does your dd *want* to learn to spell? At her age, I had given up, and because of that I never learned to spell. I started making an effort when I began homeschooling at age 35, and it is amazing what you can accomplish when you want to.

My father carried a spelling list in his back pocket until the age of 35, which he reviewed every day. He has an MD and a PhD. You have to want to learn when the going gets tough.

Ask her.

Ruth in NZ

[Kevin'sMom]

I am assuming that not every word is misspelled, so she must know how to spell up to a point. Whatever that point is, that is where I would start. Here is a link to commonly misspelled words by grade.http://www.spellquizzer.com/SpellingLists/Frequently-Misspelled-Spelling-Words.htm

 

Our weekly spelling test is whatever is in the curriculum plus any common words misspelled in any writing that has been done, plus some words from other lessons. This is working out well, so far.

[A home for their hearts]

We used AAS levels 1 and 2 during her early elementary years.  I didn't see a lot of carry-over to her writing, so I didn't think it was worth the price.  We didn't do any formal spelling for a couple of year.  When she would ask me how to spell a word I would tell her, I would also point out misspellings in her writing.  However after reading somewhere that doing that could discourage her writing I stopped doing that.  I think that was a bad idea.  We did LOE last year.  She could memorize the rules and phonograms but couldn't always use that knowledge to spell unknown words.  Sometimes she will apply rules wrong.  One example is the other day she spelled coming with 2 m's, which maybe is understandable since come is irregular.  This year we are using Apples Daily Spelling drills and it's the same outcome as all the others.  She actually says it's too easy. 

 

I like the idea of using her own misspelled words as a spelling list.  I'm not sure if she wants to learn to spell or not.  She seems very discourage,and embarrassed by it.

[Elisabet1]

I would do spelling through 6th grade level, but, we use Spelling Workout and the kids have all loved it and requested to continue. It morphs in to a vocab program so we now use it through 8th grade level. 

[Hottater]

I tried four curricula as well. Spelling power, sequential spelling, simplex spelling iPad app, and now rod and staff. We've stuck to rod and staff at the moment to see if it works. I am in a similar boat that I wonder if his spelling would ever improve. An important step that spelling power does that other curricula doesn't do is application of the spelling word into a sentence which I might reinstill. He's had the word "when" in all of those curricula, and still spells it wrong. (Across four curricula) When applying it in a sentence the practice and application of the word in proper context might help them visually see and practice what it means to catch your mistakes to edit and proof it. Something that spelling workout did that I might not have given it credit for, was that it had proofing as well(I had not started teaching ds spelling until second grade, due to lack of time, with my two active dds -and now ds's in mid 3rd grade). I didn't give spelling work out enough of a chance. The spelling power didn't work for us because he was getting the next three words wrong on every list on section b. He was feeling defeated too soon. Sequential spelling tauted for helping dyslexics- he would feel success with word families, but there was no apllication where he would plug it into a sentence and get any of it right. If rod and staff doesn't work after this semester, which I hope it does, then I will be going back to spelling work out. The only busy work in it is the crossword puzzles that I am not sure are useful.But, I'm with ya! Uuhhhg yesterday he spelled sad -sade! Can I cry now?!

[Hottater]

Stacy- spelling power seems like it might work for your dd, cause the lists only tests words you don't know. Cause she is older, it won't seem so "easy" like curricula made for little children. Its meant to be for third grade and up. It is a mountain to understand how to test her in, the quick start is actually not quick, but I found that the placement test was helpful. I am at my wits end with trying different methods, but what works for others isn't what always work for us. The spelling power was developed by a mom whose daughter had spelling delays too and curricula was tested across many student groups. I find many curricula use the see it, say it, spell it, close your eyes, spell it on the carpet, analyze the special spelling, then write it on paper method. Spelling work out and spelling power both do this, they both have you write words you don't know well in a sentence. I was a huge fan of rules because I like to teach sequentially, but when kids can't order the operations in spelling, it leaves us parents frustrated. So, I wish there was something more magical that works for everyone. If any of you come across the why, please let us know! But I like the upper poster's comment about it being a writing function.

[Hottater]

Oops double post

[PeterPan]

 I'm not sure if she wants to learn to spell or not.  She seems very discourage,and embarrassed by it.

This is why you're not going to stop.  Of course AAS didn't give you carryover.  A huge percentage of kids are going to need a lot more practice than what is built into it.  There's sort of this assumption floating around that spelling happens for kids, however there's a chunk of kids who need a LOT more practice for spelling (or math facts or foreign language vocabulary) to stick than what we think it ought to.  

 

I had only one dc for almost 10 years, so I had luxuries you haven't had, like the time to do multiple spelling programs at once.  My dd is a lot like yours, not a natural speller.  We did SWR but we went through all this lists *3* times, not just the *2* times that Sanseri says it should take.  AND we did 45 minutes of dictation a day for several years.  AND we did a computer spelling program (Calvert).  AND we did a workbook.  

 

That's what it took.  And for all that work, she's still lower on her CTOPP (test of phonological processing) scores than her reading by 20%.  She's what I would call a *functional* speller.  She's not going to win any spelling bees, but she can spell adequately and self-monitor, knowing if she knows a word or not and using spellcheck.  When she got to that point, where she could spell adequately common words and self-monitor, as in she was FUNCTIONAL, we stopped formal spelling.  You don't have to go forever, but FUNCTIONAL is within reach for many strugglers.  If you can't hit functional, you better go get evals.  (my two cents)

 

Since she sounds somewhat motivated, you might try something like this:  Get SWR, give her the placement test, then tell her you will give her $10 for every 20 word list she nails from there.  Give her a procedure to go through to ensure her success.

 

1) Go through all the words with you via the standard dictation process, where she marks them, understands them, and records them in her log.

2) Have her enter the words into Quizlet (in a private set obviously, for copyright reasons) and practice the words.  People don't realize how incredibly flexible quizlet is.  You can set it to read the words aloud and it has all kinds of game options.  One of them has the dc spell the word with falling letters.  This was in the Calvert spelling, and it was good for us.  

3) Have someone drill her with the words but use visualization techniques.  Show her the word, have her close her eyes and visualize it, then have her spell it aloud BACKWARDS.  See if she can do that.  It's very possible it will be a strong method for her.  If she can't visualize, it's possible she has a visual memory problem behind her spelling difficulty.  That can happen, and you'd get her checked with a developmental optometrist that you find through COVD.

4) Use the audio cds for SWR and have her practice writing the words.

5) Read her the sentences from the Wise Guide for the list and have her write them as dictation.  This was extremely powerful for us, because it put the words IN CONTEXT.  For my dd, things in context stuck better than in isolation.

 

In addition to the SWR work, I would suggest a page written of dictation every day for a number of months.  This will probably make a radical difference for her.  Use the SWR/LOE techniques for parsing and explaining the rules for the words.

 

SWR has placement tests, so you could place her appropriately. Given where she's likely to start (just my guess), she'd probably get through most of the book in a year.  2 word lists a week (20 words X2) for 30 weeks would be 1200 words.  That's not unreasonable.  

 

But only do that for one year or maybe even just a really focused summer.  

 

Some people are more auditory learners.  Pudewa talks about that.  My dd turned out to have visual memory problems, which is why the spelling wasn't sticking.  We ended up doing vision therapy (VT) and then going back through all the levels of AAS in a summer.  Like I said, it has taken a LOT more effort than you think it ought to take, but my dd likes being a functional speller.  She knows she's not stellar, but she has the ability to self-monitor and know when to use spell check.

 

Btw, have you tried a foreign language with her yet?  My dd who wasn't a natural speller also needed a lot of extra help to finally have success with foreign language vocabulary.  It's not just one problem.  The diligence you learn in solving the one will help with the next.  My dd has to spend double to triple the amount of time of most of the other kids to nail it.  It's crazy.

[Carol in Cal.]

Phonetic Zoo really helped in a similar situation.

I encourage you not to give up.  She will appear poorly educated if she doesn't spell correctly in adulthood.

[A home for their hearts]

This is why you're not going to stop.  Of course AAS didn't give you carryover.  A huge percentage of kids are going to need a lot more practice than what is built into it.  There's sort of this assumption floating around that spelling happens for kids, however there's a chunk of kids who need a LOT more practice for spelling (or math facts or foreign language vocabulary) to stick than what we think it ought to.  

 

I had only one dc for almost 10 years, so I had luxuries you haven't had, like the time to do multiple spelling programs at once.  My dd is a lot like yours, not a natural speller.  We did SWR but we went through all this lists *3* times, not just the *2* times that Sanseri says it should take.  AND we did 45 minutes of dictation a day for several years.  AND we did a computer spelling program (Calvert).  AND we did a workbook.  

 

That's what it took.  And for all that work, she's still lower on her CTOPP (test of phonological processing) scores than her reading by 20%.  She's what I would call a *functional* speller.  She's not going to win any spelling bees, but she can spell adequately and self-monitor, knowing if she knows a word or not and using spellcheck.  When she got to that point, where she could spell adequately common words and self-monitor, as in she was FUNCTIONAL, we stopped formal spelling.  You don't have to go forever, but FUNCTIONAL is within reach for many strugglers.  If you can't hit functional, you better go get evals.  (my two cents)

 

Since she sounds somewhat motivated, you might try something like this:  Get SWR, give her the placement test, then tell her you will give her $10 for every 20 word list she nails from there.  Give her a procedure to go through to ensure her success.

 

1) Go through all the words with you via the standard dictation process, where she marks them, understands them, and records them in her log.

2) Have her enter the words into Quizlet (in a private set obviously, for copyright reasons) and practice the words.  People don't realize how incredibly flexible quizlet is.  You can set it to read the words aloud and it has all kinds of game options.  One of them has the dc spell the word with falling letters.  This was in the Calvert spelling, and it was good for us.  

3) Have someone drill her with the words but use visualization techniques.  Show her the word, have her close her eyes and visualize it, then have her spell it aloud BACKWARDS.  See if she can do that.  It's very possible it will be a strong method for her.  If she can't visualize, it's possible she has a visual memory problem behind her spelling difficulty.  That can happen, and you'd get her checked with a developmental optometrist that you find through COVD.

4) Use the audio cds for SWR and have her practice writing the words.

5) Read her the sentences from the Wise Guide for the list and have her write them as dictation.  This was extremely powerful for us, because it put the words IN CONTEXT.  For my dd, things in context stuck better than in isolation.

 

In addition to the SWR work, I would suggest a page written of dictation every day for a number of months.  This will probably make a radical difference for her.  Use the SWR/LOE techniques for parsing and explaining the rules for the words.

 

SWR has placement tests, so you could place her appropriately. Given where she's likely to start (just my guess), she'd probably get through most of the book in a year.  2 word lists a week (20 words X2) for 30 weeks would be 1200 words.  That's not unreasonable.  

 

But only do that for one year or maybe even just a really focused summer.  

 

Some people are more auditory learners.  Pudewa talks about that.  My dd turned out to have visual memory problems, which is why the spelling wasn't sticking.  We ended up doing vision therapy (VT) and then going back through all the levels of AAS in a summer.  Like I said, it has taken a LOT more effort than you think it ought to take, but my dd likes being a functional speller.  She knows she's not stellar, but she has the ability to self-monitor and know when to use spell check.

 

Btw, have you tried a foreign language with her yet?  My dd who wasn't a natural speller also needed a lot of extra help to finally have success with foreign language vocabulary.  It's not just one problem.  The diligence you learn in solving the one will help with the next.  My dd has to spend double to triple the amount of time of most of the other kids to nail it.  It's crazy.

 

Thanks for typing all of this out.  I don't have time to respond right now (baby is screaming).  However I did want to say that I *tried* to use SWR a few years ago and was completely overwhelmed by it.

[Susan in TX]

My son struggled horribly with spelling. The only thing that caused notable improvement in his spelling abilities was when he got a phone and started texting. This is not a joke.

 

Susan in TX

[Loowit]

My son struggled horribly with spelling. The only thing that caused notable improvement in his spelling abilities was when he got a phone and started texting. This is not a joke.

 

Susan in TX

 

My DS who is a horrible speller has learned a lot of words playing online games.  My DH says the best way to get someone to learn to spell a word is it put it as their password.

[MerryAtHope]

Honestly, I'd choose a program and teach it all the way through. Mistakes in writing are common, and you will need to teach separate editing skills as well. Here's an article with tips on how to address spelling in their writing. I don't regret teaching spelling to my struggling spellers, and following all the way through and doing lots of review along the way was definitely worth the time. Spelling isn't perfect, but so much better.  Oldest finished at 16, youngest will finish at 15. 

[lewelma]

Thanks for typing all of this out.  I don't have time to respond right now (baby is screaming).  However I did want to say that I *tried* to use SWR a few years ago and was completely overwhelmed by it.

 

My older boy learned to read at a young age and at the time had a serious speech impediment.  To my horror, he ended up mapping the wrong sounds to the letters.  So CAT would be spelled dok.  It was a nightmare!!!  So I absolutely *know* how hard it can be.  I made it my mission to read and truly understand SWR and implement it with precision every. single. day.  And as far as I am concerned, it is nothing short of a miracle that my son became a reasonably decent speller in about 4 years, by age 12.

 

If you are serious, give SWR a second chance.

 

Ruth in NZ

[PeterPan]

Thanks for typing all of this out.  I don't have time to respond right now (baby is screaming).  However I did want to say that I *tried* to use SWR a few years ago and was completely overwhelmed by it.

I can imagine!  You have a lot of kids, and it's a program that takes time to implement and time to wrap your brain around.  I think my Quick & Dirty Guide to SWR is still on lulu as a free download, though maybe by this point you understand the methodology well enough that you don't need it?  If you want a really sassy and fast presentation, you could look it up.

 

My older boy learned to read at a young age and at the time had a serious speech impediment.  To my horror, he ended up mapping the wrong sounds to the letters.  So CAT would be spelled dok.  It was a nightmare!!!  So I absolutely *know* how hard it can be.  I made it my mission to read and truly understand SWR and implement it with precision every. single. day.  And as far as I am concerned, it is nothing short of a miracle that my son became a reasonably decent speller in about 4 years, by age 12.

 

If you are serious, give SWR a second chance.

 

Ruth in NZ

Yeah, like Merry said, it's not like there's just ONE program, but SWR happens to be a really straightforward way to accomplish your goals.  It goes farther than LOE and AAS and has placement tests.  It has enrichments and mature dictation sentences to use with an older dc.  It's just an extremely powerful tool.

 

If ALL you do is sit down and do a page handwritten of dictation daily, I think you'd see improvement.  Seriously, that's your do something but don't ruin my life doing it option.  Then, if you do that, then bring in something for visualization.  People have mentioned typing helps, whether it's on the phone or computer, and the people in my house say the same thing.  I think it's *because* it's so visual.  Ding, ding.  When they practice with computer games, it's visual.  When they type, it's visual.  When they visualize the word and spell it aloud backwards, it's harnessing their visual abilities.  Even dictation, I think, worked for my dd because it was so VISUAL. I had her read aloud the sentence to me after she wrote it and really READ it, not just parrot the words, because I wanted her to SEE them again in context.

 

Whatever. Good luck with whatever you do.  :)

[A home for their hearts]

I just don't know if I have it in me to give SWR a second chance.  I'm already overwhelmed with life in general, adding in something like SWR would probably push me over the cliff! 

 

OhElizabeth, could you explain to me how you did dictation? 

[PeterPan]

I just don't know if I have it in me to give SWR a second chance.  I'm already overwhelmed with life in general, adding in something like SWR would probably push me over the cliff! 

 

OhElizabeth, could you explain to me how you did dictation? 

Absolutely!  Some people do studied dictation.  I tried it a few times and didn't really find it that helpful for us.  If it works for you, fine.  Studied dictation just means they study the selection ahead of time for spelling, punctuation, etc.  

 

For us, all I did was:

 

1) pick up a book

2) read a few words from the book (whatever amount they can hold in their brain)

3) ask her if she knows all the words or needs to work through any of them (self-monitoring goal)

4) have her write, watching as she writes.  Immediately stop if something isn't correct, and without being punitive stop her, say oops, and work through the word or the punctuation rule.  

5) Have her READ IT BACK aloud after she finishes writing.  That way her eyes are seeing it again (visual memory).

 

Tips:

 

-My dd felt like it was a test until we turned it into a team effort.  This should not be a test.  This is working together.  Ask WHY that word ends in E, why you double the t, why the e dropped, etc.  Work together so it doesn't come across like a test.  Actually help her.  The goal is no errors and no stress.

 

-Get a bowl of m&ms and every time she asks for help on a word give her some.  Seriously.  You want to change the dynamic and reward self-monitoring.

 

-For selections, use whatever seems appropriate or engaging.  For a 14 yo girl, maybe the Hobbit?  It really doesn't matter what you use, so long as it's interesting enough to keep her engaged.  The frequent words are frequent.  Right now my dd is reading essays from the Best Science & Nature Writing annuals series, so I'd probably be inclined to pull out something like that for her.  That would have the more mature punctuation you're wanting and get her more variety in words.  If you still have SWR around, you could use just the sample sentences for the words in the Wise Guide.  We did that quite a bit and it was a VERY powerful tool.  The happy thing about that is you have the explanations for the spelling of some of them right in front of you.   :)

 

If you decide to try dictation, try doing it for 1-2 months and see what happens.  If you have your SWR materials still, you could administer the placement test at the beginning and end to see what progress you've made.  Dictation for us was really good about bringing up the 2nd score, the mastery score.  Remember you had two scores there.  One was overall and the other was mastery.  Dictation is great for bringing up that mastery score.  

 

It doesn't have to cost anything or be thorough or be from a curriculum or anything else.  USE WHAT YOU HAVE.  Whatever is well-written and interesting that she has been reading or that has been lying around, pick up and use it.  Seriously.  It won't take long for you to decide if it's a powerful tool for her and helping or not.  For my dd, dictation kicked the brain in gear and made her self-monitor more and think more analytically.  Her scores would bump up on the overall even without going further on the lists.  So you could just try it and see what happens.  

 

Sorry you're feeling overwhelmed.  No great answers on that one.

[kirstenhill]

3) Have someone drill her with the words but use visualization techniques.  Show her the word, have her close her eyes and visualize it, then have her spell it aloud BACKWARDS.  See if she can do that.  It's very possible it will be a strong method for her.  If she can't visualize, it's possible she has a visual memory problem behind her spelling difficulty.  That can happen, and you'd get her checked with a developmental optometrist that you find through COVD.

 

So, if I, as an adult, can barely do that (aka visualize a word and spell it backwards), does that explain why it was so hard for me to learn to spell?...LOL!  Learning to type well and seeing my mistakes fixed over and over again by spell check was what really helped me to become an okay speller.  And now doing logic of english with my kids has helped fix a few more words I have always struggled to spell.   But to this day if someone asks me to spell that is even remotely complicated, I can't do it unless I write it or type it.  Yet I can always tell by the look of a word if it is spelled wrong even if I am not sure of the correct spelling.   So far, it seems my daughter takes after me in spelling.  I just asked her to try and visualize a word to spell it backwards and she had a hard time too.   Very interesting!