A study was conducted to determine the effects of applying the "Swassing/Barbe Modality Index" (SBMI), an instrument for identifying a student's strongest learning modality, to achieve higher accuracy on spelling lessons and tests. The SBMI was administered to 17 special education students in a class of seven second grade and ten third grade students. The study was then limited to six third grade students--the three with the greatest differential favoring visual modality, the two with auditory strength, and the one student with the strongest kinesthetic differential. The experimental instruction that followed included two weeks of regular classroom work with all students participating in the same activities, and four weeks when lessons were presented to each student in the dominant modality. Case studies revealed that all students except one, an auditory learner, benefited from instruction through their modality strength. However, although overall results did not produce outstanding gains and the data were not statistically significant, the SBMI could be helpful in some special education situations where teachers feel that instruction through specific modalities is warranted. (RL)