Salma studies in Class One. She writes the word 'kitab' as 'katab'. This way of writing by Salma reflects _____.

When young children write words based on their own phonetic understanding before mastering conventional spelling, it is called invented spelling or self-spelling (स्व-वर्तनी). This is a developmental and natural stage in literacy development, not ignorance or carelessness. It shows the child is actively engaging with sound-symbol relationships.