Students with learning disabilities deserve high-quality science instruction that supports them in constructing scientific explanations as a means toward building their science content knowledge. We examined written scientific explanations of 66 middle-school students with learning disabilities from rural Kansas school districts, comparing them…

In this pilot single-case study, we evaluated the effects of using LEGO® as a tool for students identified with disabilities to improve their expressive writing performance. We applied a simple ABA reversal design to test whether the intervention was effective with four seventh graders. Social validity data were also obtained. Findings indicate…

In this article, recent developments in the assessment of writing, especially informational writing, are connected with research-based instruction that is likely to have an impact on students with disabilities and the wide range of student writing development in Grades 3 to 8. The objectives are for educators to assess, interpret, and set goals…

As students enter middle school, they face increased writing expectations. Middle school teachers expect students to write lengthier compositions across genres that are more technically correct and thoughtfully written than those required in elementary school. Some students will meet the increased expectations, while others will not. Most students…

One aim of this article is to shift mindsets from the traditional identification of written language abilities that are "missing" in students with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) to writing assessment as the discovery of more complex language strengths foundational to success across disciplines. The multiple language-levels (MLL)…

Copying a text quickly and accurately is important both in school and in daily life. However, this skill has never been systematically studied, either in children with typical development (TD) or in children with specific learning disabilities (SLD). The aim of this research was to study the features of a copy task and its relationship with other…

Writing in science can be challenging for all learners, and it is especially so for students with cognitive or language-based learning difficulties. We examined the effects of a cognitive apprenticeship on student disciplinary writing skills as well as near and far transfer of learning outcomes. This instructional approach included a gradual…

In three experiments, I first examined the correlation between the presence of transformation of stimulus function (TSF) across computation and the presence of TSF across saying and writing for spelling words, and then tested the effects of the establishment of TSF across saying and writing on the establishment of TSF across math operants. Eight…

We evaluated the validity of an automated approach to learning progress assessment (aLPA) for English written expression. Participants (n = 105) were students in Grades 2-12 who had parent-identified learning difficulties and received academic tutoring through a community-based organization. Participants completed narrative writing samples in the…

This exploratory study examined the usage of speech recognition (SR) technology by students with high incidence disabilities in grades 4-8 and student and teacher perceptions of using SR as part of the writing process. The study also examined factors contributing to students' use of SR and barriers to using this technology. Results indicated that…

This study explored prior experiences that shaped literacy motivation beliefs among adolescents with learning disabilities (LD). Data included student and teacher interviews, teacher response scales, and classroom observations. Two cycles of analysis, using directed content and thematic approaches, resulted in findings that indicate two types of…

Students in grades 5-9 (N = 29) with specific learning disabilities (SLDs) (dysgraphia, dyslexia, or oral and written language learning disability, OWL LD) were asked to take notes and handwrite or type summaries of social studies texts about world geography and cultures that they read or heard. This activity required activating knowledge of…

Dysgraphia, a specific learning disability, impairs legible and automatic letter production by hand, which can interfere with written composing. The goal of the current study was not to investigate effective methods for teaching self-regulated writing to students with dysgraphia, but rather to investigate their self that is involved in their…

Dysgraphia, a specific learning disability, impairs legible and automatic letter production by hand, which can interfere with written composing. The goal of the current study was not to investigate effective methods for teaching self-regulated writing to students with dysgraphia, but rather to investigate their self that is involved in their…

In this essay, I reflect on over 15 years of experience in the field of special education to explore diverse ways of engaging students in opinion and argument writing. I outline, according to the Common Core standards, the progression of writing in the early years with an emphasis on opinion writing through the later elementary, middle, and high…