Envision the Possibilities

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Envision the Possibilities Celebrate Assistive
Technology February 2007
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Portable Word Processing for Students with
Writing Disabilities
The Writer
Dana
Neo
AlphaSmart 3000
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Assistive Technology Devices for Writing
Goal Increase legibility, complexity, and
accuracy as well as efficiency,
productivity, and independence
Selection Student ability, need, and required
tasks
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Categories based on features

• Writing Process
• Organizational Structure
• Prewriting
• Drafting
• Editing
• Revising
• Use of Resources

• Conventions
• Grammar
• Mechanics
• Spelling
• Legibility

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Determining the appropriateness of using a
portable word processor

• Handwriting vs keyboarding
• Motor components of written expression

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• Assistive Technology AssessmentDevelopingAvailab
  le from Don Johnston Incorporated
• http//www.donjohnston.com/catalog/writecover/
• writecoverfrm.htm
• (in the Writing Products Section of the web site)

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Characteristics of struggling writers
Handwriting

• There are significant positive correlations
  between handwriting fluency and reading speed.
• Students having difficulty with handwriting are
  often experiencing subsequent academic problems.
  Reversals are not a predictor. (Simner, 1982)
• Students with dysgraphia are often poor readers
  and spellers (Maeland and Karlsdottir,1991).

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Keyboarding Study by Pisha, (1993)88 students
ages 8-13 in grades 3-6

• Mean typing speeds for copying tasks were 12-14
  WPM.
• Students who used computers to do homework,
  showed higher keyboarding baselines and developed
  skills faster.
• Older students in grades 5 6 made progress
  faster than younger students in grades 3 and 4.

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• In the Pisha study
• Handwriting quality was NOT related to
  keyboarding baseline if a student had poor
  handwriting legibility, he or she was still able
  to learn keyboarding at the same rate as better
  handwriters.
• Students receiving special ed. services had lower
  baseline keyboarding skills, but acquired skills
  at the same rate as students not receiving
  services.
• Students with LD in grades 5 6 7-12 WPM
• Students with LD in grades 3 4 0-3 WPM

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Scardamalia, Bereiter, and Goelman (1982)

• In learning to write, children need to develop
  enough fluency so that the mechanics of producing
  text do not interfere with the process of
  composing.

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• Handwriting Productivity

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• Evidence of handwriting ability should include
  the following
• Teacher/staff observations
• Physical or occupational therapist observations
  of handwriting quality
• Typical work samples (independently produced and
  unedited)

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Obtaining objective data on handwriting
productivity

• To obtain timed LPM (letter per minute)
  handwriting samples, ask the student to perform 4
  tasks.
• The full alphabet
• A copied sentence
• A dictated sentence
• An independently composed sentence
• Note the number of letters at one minute
  intervals.
• Use a stop watch or other timer.
• You may want to provide a pencil with no eraser

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Converting LPM to WPM

• Divide the total number of letters per minute by
  five.
• Example
• 40 LPM 5 8 WPM
• Most handwriting speed research is based on
  copying tasks.
• It is important to remember that school work
  focuses more on generative writing tasks, not
  copying.

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Typical handwriting speeds for copying tasks
Av. WPM
5 6 7 8 10 12 14 16
Amundson, S. J., 1995. Evaluation Tool of
Childrens Handwriting
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Deciding on Handwriting Effectiveness

• Handwriting is not a motor issue if it
• is legible to the reader.
• keeps reasonable pace with the writers written
  expression abilities.
• Handwriting is a problem if it
• is illegible to the reader (including the
  student).
• cannot keep reasonable pace with the students
  written expression abilities.

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• Keyboarding Productivity

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Keyboarding techniques

• Note the keyboarding technique used by the
  student
• Optimal ten finger touch typing
• Less optimal but functional
• 2 fingers 2 thumbs for space bar
• 2 index fingers
• one finger and thumb
• one finger hunt and peck

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Obtaining objective data on keyboarding
productivity

• To obtain timed LPM (letter per minute)
  keyboarding samples, ask the student to perform
  the same 4 tasks.
• The full alphabet
• A copied sentence
• A dictated sentence
• An independently composed sentence
• Note the number of letters at one minute
  intervals.
• Use a stop watch or other timer.
• Use a standard keyboard or the one the student if
  familiar with
• Do not count spaces.

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Keyboarding needs to keep pace or exceed
handwriting speed to be effective.Keyboarding
often reduces the motor demands of handwriting.
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Deciding on Keyboarding Effectiveness

• Keyboarding is not currently practical
• if the student does not retain the ability to
  quickly locate the keys with ease.
• the speed of handwriting is currently faster
  than the speed of keyboarding after a sufficient
  amount of experience and practice.
• if there is a high rate of keyboarding errors.
• Keyboarding is appropriate
• if handwriting is too difficult or illegible.
• if keyboarding speed is faster than handwriting
  speed and better enables the student to keep pace
  with written expression abilities.

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At what age can we expect keyboarding to be
effective for generative writing?

• Kindergarten and 1st grade children took as long
  to decide what letter to type as they did to find
  it on a keyboard. Touch typing instruction was
  not warranted as their facility in composing was
  more dependent on their ability to figure out
  spellings than on their ability to figure out the
  keys.
• Kahn, J and Freyd, P. (Feb. 1990).

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Pisha (1993) Study Recommendations

• To begin keyboard training in the 3rd grade,
  which allows sufficient time for most students to
  develop manuscript writing.
• To place less emphasis on the mastery of cursive
  writing and provide keyboarding training
  opportunities.

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• Obtaining information on handwriting and
  keyboarding, gives the school team more objective
  data on the motor elements of written expression.
  
• This combined with data on spelling ability and
  writing traits, provides a more informed analysis
  on the factors that affect writing success.

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• Knowing what factors are most affecting writing
  success, enable teams to make more informed
  decisions on assistive technology devices and
  strategies.

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RESOURCES www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/hiat www.
gpat.org www.donjohnston.com (writing products
section)