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By Diane Wagner, BA, Grad. Dip. Child Study, LD@school LD Proficient

Image of a Teacher Helping Pupils Studying At Desks In Classroom

Writing involves juggling many things at the same fourth dimension: grammar, spelling, letter germination, vocabulary, punctuation, capitalization, content, and following the directions of educators. All of these skills must be automated for writing to exist effective. For most of us, this is a big task. Yet, for many students with learning disabilities (LDs), it is an almost incommunicable chore.

As a student progresses through schoolhouse, the challenges relating to writing keep to increase. Students become involved in story writing, editing, research, note-taking, text/exam writing, etc. All of these tasks require planning and time.

Students with LDs who have difficulties in writing are often accused of procrastination or lack of effort, and indeed may become discouraged if they do not get assistance. Information technology is important for educators to recognize where the breakup in written language occurs, and discover creative ways to aid these students. Difficulties can be in handwriting and/or in written expression.

Identifying and Addressing Difficulties in Handwriting

The term dysgraphia is sometimes used to depict the specific attribute of fine motor part which affects the speed, fluency and legibility of writing.

Mutual forms include:

  • Motor retentivity dysfunction -- lack of automaticity of letter formation (cannot chop-chop remember how to form letters)
  • Graphomotor production deficits -- incorrect pencil grip (perpendicular, too close to tip, excessive pressure)
  • Motor Feedback problems -- trouble keeping rail of where the pencil is while writing

Students with handwriting difficulties oft avoid newspaper pencil tasks and have reduced written output.

Suggestions for addressing handwriting difficulties

  • For students learning to impress/write, teach letter formation in a methodical method (ie. grouping letters which have like formations), emphasizing the correctness of pencil grip, motor memory for the letter of the alphabet formations, exercise for fluency.
  • Have the student practice copying for brusk periods of time then increasing the time every bit fluency increases.
  • Encourage the use of pencil grips and/or large mechanical pencils.
    Encourage use of alternative newspaper material (e.1000. for younger students, newspaper with raised lines provides a sensory guide for the student to stay within the lines).
  • Encourage training for keyboarding skills so that a figurer tin can be used for schoolhouse assignments.

Identifying and Addressing Difficulties in Written Expression

Frequently, students with LDs demonstrate a meaning discrepancy between oral expression and reading power vs. their written output. This functional gap is a source of extreme frustration for everyone involved, particularly the student who does not understand why they are unable to write with the aforementioned ease as they can understand, retrieve and discuss.

Sources of this breakdown include:

  • Lack of skill/expertise with the writing procedure - i.e. putting thoughts on newspaper in an organized, sequenced and edited form
  • Not following the necessary writing stages - i.e. prewriting and writing
  • Weak active working retention - i.e. remembering and using all the skills involved in written production: expressing ideas and knowledge, grammer, punctuation, capitalization, proofreading, editing, etc.
  • Weak revision and proofreading skills
  • Attentional weaknesses - weak sustained attending for difficult tasks, distractibility, low mental energy, hands fatigued
  • Difficulty recognizing "the big picture", disorganization
  • Tiresome processing speed, weak retrieval retentivity

Suggestions for addressing written expression difficulties

  • Help with the evolution of a schedule assuasive time to complete assignments
  • Work in minor time periods rather than spending hours at a time
  • Begin with a brainstorming stage where ideas nearly the subject are written downwards. If a student has spelling or graphomotor problems, scribe for them or allow use of a calculator
  • Aid the educatee organize their ideas from the brainstorming to an organizational model (i.e. a story map, a timeline, an outline, organizational software such as Inspiration, Spark-Space)
  • Encourage the student to elaborate on which ideas need to be included in the assignment within the organizational model
  • Begin writing offset/crude draft from the model
  • Edit for vocabulary usage, sentencing, grammatical constructions, mechanics of writing (spelling, capitals, punctuation, paragraphing)

Suggested accommodations for written expression difficulties

  • Additional fourth dimension for writing assignments
  • Culling means of assessing noesis (due east.m. oral reports or visual projects)
  • Marks for spelling only deducted when spelling is an essential skill requirement for the task
  • For students who cannot keep up with note taking from a blackboard, provide a copy or outline
  • Utilize of organizational assistive software
  • Use of a digital recorder to dictate thoughts or answers
  • Utilize of a scribe or speech-to-text assistive software
  • Use of word prediction or spellchecker software

Adapted from an article by Faye East. Hart, Educational Consultant (used with permission), which was based on the following references: Levine, Mel. Educational Intendance 1994: Cambridge. Educators Publishing Service Ltd.: Levine, Mel. Keeping a Caput in School.1990: Cambridge. Educators Publishing Service Ltd.

Relevant Resources on the LD@school website:

Click here to access an article entitled, "Developing Interventions for Students with Writing Disabilities: Addressing the Nearly Circuitous Academic Problem", by Jessica A. Carmichael and James B. Hale.

Click hither to access an commodity entitled, "The Cocky-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) Approach for Helping Students with Learning Disabilities to Better their Use of Writing Strategies, their Knowledge of Writing, and their Motivation to Write", by Véronique Parent, Anne Rodrigue, Julie Myre-Bisaillon, Carole Boudreau, and Annick Tremblay-Bouchard.

Click here to admission an article entitled, "Expressive Writing", by Jeffrey MacCormack and Nancy L. Hutchinson.

Click here to access an article entitled, "Narrative Story Writing", by Robert M. Head and Raymond Leblanc.

Click here to access an article entitled, "The COPS Editing Strategy", by Nicole Lauzon.