Attention all elementary education writing teachers. It’s time to scrub in and diagnose writing errors in your youngest learners. Spelling is a developmental process (Gentry, 1982) and once you understand a student's inventive spelling, we can use that information to get a glimpse into how the brain is thinking and better guide our instruction. Alana Mangham, The Reading League Louisiana’s Vice President, will explore research, student samples, and techniques that educators can use when diagnosing spelling errors and creating the next steps in writing support.