The present study aimed to examine the nature of the working memory and general cognitive ability deficits experienced by university students with a specific reading comprehension deficit. A total of 32 university students with poor reading comprehension but average word-reading skills and 60 age-word-matched controls with no comprehension…

Based on a study of eight LD students learning to use word processing, the paper makes recommendations for evaluating word processing software and designing instruction that is sensitive to students' difficulties. (Author/CL)

This study investigated the use of a word processor for enhancing the academic outcomes of three students with writing disabilities in a junior high school. A single-subject ABAB design was used to compare academic output produced during class time with and without a computer equipped with a word processor. The number of spelling errors, the…

The study compared stories written on either a word processor or handwritten by 15 children (ages 8-12) with learning disabilities. Use of the word processor resulted in fewer spelling errors for children with severe spelling problems and longer stories for children having problems with the mechanics of the writing task. (Author/DB)

The article describes typical kinds of writing problems found in fourth grade learning disabled students and discusses ways in which the computer makes the child's planning and composing problems more accessible to teacher help. Similarly, pitfalls of such accessibility are also cited. (CL)

The article describes ways in which learning disabled students can use simple database management and word processing programs as active users. Involvement in these types of computer applications allows the user to be an active, creative communicator. (CL)

This study investigated effects of five proofreading conditions on the spelling performance of 12 college students with learning disabilities. Conditions were handwriting with no additional assistance, with a print dictionary, and with a handheld spelling checker; and word processing with no additional assistance and with a spelling checker. All…

Surveys the current status of assistive technology for individuals with learning disabilities and considers future promises and potential problems. A model is presented for conceptualizing assistive technology in terms of the types of barriers it helps to surmount. Efficacy research is reviewed for word processing, computer-based instruction,…

This article reviews ways that computers can support writing by students with learning disabilities. It discusses research on word processing, software for transcription and sentence generation, spelling checkers, speech synthesizers, word prediction programs, grammar and style checkers, prompting programs, outlining and semantic mapping software,…