A Response to Take the Pencil out of the Process and Assistive Technology and Writing and Diagnosis and Intervention Strategies for Disorders of Written Language

If the above visual does nothing else for you, it will illustrate the complexity of the writing process.  For many students with learning disabilities or motor issues that make handwriting a challenge, writing is a daunting and dreadful experience.  That is why as educators it is extremely important that we have in place both compensatory and remediation strategies for students who struggle with the mechanical or written expression portion of writing.  One way to do this is to use an iPad and applications to support students through the writing process.  

For today’s class we were expected to read three articles, all on the subject of intervention strategies for writing.  I was extremely interested in this topic, because as an elementary teacher this is often something that I see students struggle with on a daily basis, for a number of reasons.  Having said that, I was surprised when I began reading Take the Pencil Out of the Process, by Leslie Broun, where she noted many parents’ frustration in the fact that their children with ASD were not allowed to use computers as a strategy or adaptation when writing.  It is easy to see (from doing our letter to Santa activity) how much more complicated the writing process becomes when you are concentrating on forming letters and working with the pencil.  It is obvious how assistive technology could help students who struggle with letter formation when writing.  It could essentially open up the lines of communication for them, allowing students the opportunity to write more than one or two word answers, and explain their thinking in full sentences.

One really important quote that I took from this article was found on page 17.  “…it is important to focus on the fact that they have demonstrated an ability to learn and independently apply language to their thoughts and experiences in ways that are contrary to what their expressions of autism might at first glance suggest.” (Broun, 2009).  When I read this quote my first thought was that we need to presume the competency of our students, especially those that struggle to use and communicate their understanding of learning.  It is imperative that we allow students to show us their understanding using any technology or mode available, not just the ones that have traditionally been used in our education system.  It also made me think of our recent discussion in class, when we talked about the importance of remembering “What it is we are assessing.”  As I have said before, matters of correctness are one part of the writing process.  It is important to allow students the ability to express themselves using any means possible, including assistive technology. 

My main take away from Diagnosis and Intervention Strategies for Disorders of Written Language by Margret Kay was the importance of understanding where the students deficiencies lie with writing disorders, and how we as educators can help remediate, and in some cases compensate, for their specific needs.  It is important to consider that one strategy will not work for all students, so there may be many different remediation and compensation strategies happening in your classroom at any given time.  

The importance of knowing your students and where they struggle leads me to the final article we were expected to read, Assistive Technology and Writing , written Newton and Dell.  In this article Newton and Dell list a variety of low to high tech assistive technologies which can be used for students, depending on where their deficiencies lie.  For me, I was especially drawn to the strategies related to written expression, as this is often where I see deficiencies with many of my students.  As many of us know, the writing process involves 5 basic steps, all which have many steps within each big step.  Each step of the writing process can cause problems for students, depending on their specific disability.  Below, I will note some of the assistive technologies that would be helpful for each step, to support independent writing in your classroom. 
Pre-writing:  Pre-writing is the stage of writing which students plan and organize their ideas, often through the use of graphic organizers.  For many students with learning challenges, graphic organizers can be cumbersome and confusing.  One great app which I have used with students in the past is Kidspiration.  This allows students to manipulate their ideas, and elaborate if necessary, easily and comfortably. 
ADD PIC
Drafting:  Drafting refers to the step in which the actual writing is done.  For students with learning challenges and mechanical (handwriting) issues, this is often a significant challenge.  Luckily, through the use of iPad apps like CoWriter, WordQ and Dragon Dictate Software, students are able to record their ideas easily using text-to-speech or word prediction software.
Revising/Editing:  This step refers to re-reading, organizing, adding details, and checking work for mistakes.  This is a painstaking process for many young writers, especially those who struggle to write.  By using software like WordQ and Read and Write, students can hear their own writing, which will often prompt them to fix mistakes that they may not have been able to see, by reading their own writing.  I have found this especially useful for students who struggle to add punctuation.  Other software like spell and grammar checks offer students visuals which prompt them to fix spelling, grammar and capitalization issues. 
Sharing & Publishing:  This process simply means students ability to share their work.  Oftentimes, students are able to do this easily after writing in any of the above mentioned programs.  There are also programs like StripDesign, which allow students to publish their work in engaging and exciting ways. 

It is important to offer students choice and opportunity with assistive technologies during the writing process.  When planning unit plans, it is important to employ Universal Design for Learning, so that all students are able to access writing and have the opportunity to share their ideas and creativity.  With this knew knowledge of what is available, I no longer feel trepidations about how I will meet the needs of my students.  I feel excited about what I can now offer students to enhance their writing capabilities and encourage a love of writing and learning!

A link to Take the Pencil out of the Process can be found here.