Fourth graders with learning disabilities in transcription (handwriting and spelling), LD-TD, and without LD-TD (non-LD), were compared on three writing tasks (letters, sentences, and essays), which differed by level of language, when writing by pen and by keyboard. The two groups did not differ significantly in Verbal IQ but did in handwriting,…

A reversal design with multiple baseline features was used to assess the efficacy of self-instructions, self-correction, and a combination of the two on a nine-year-old learning disabled boy's handwriting performance. (Author)

An 11 year old learning disabled boy was taught two different strategies, both of which markedly improved his handwriting performance on a paragraph copying task. Results for the study indicated that allowing the student his choice of strategies produced better performance than did teacher determined choices. (Author)

The effectiveness of a self-instructional procedure in improving and maintaining the letter-formation skills of three students (10.4 to 11.7 years old) who were learning disabled and had handwriting deficiencies was investigated. (SW)

This introductory article discusses the difficulties many children with learning disabilities have in text production skills and how these difficulties affect not only how they write but also the pace and course of their writing development. The influence of spelling miscues on perceptions of writing ability is also addressed. (CR)

The article reviews the research on composition and transcription writing skills conducted with elementary-aged learning-disabled students and published during the last five years. Conclusions are drawn concerning the influence of: text production method, specific interventions, text structure knowledge, word presentation form, and…

Elementary children with only spelling (n=24) or handwriting and spelling disabilities (n=24) were randomly assigned to a pencil- or computer-response mode and taught 48 words of varying orders of sound-spelling predictabilities. The computer keyboard offered no overall superiority to the pencil. Children with both disabilities spelled less well.…

The S was taught to self-monitor his on- and off-task behavior by using an audiotape recorder to cue his self-recording. Using a combination of multiple baseline across responses and reversal designs, on-task behavior increased dramatically under treatment conditions for both handwriting and math. (Author/DLS)

To minimize the negative impact of handwriting and spelling difficulties of students with learning disabilities, it is proposed that explicit and systematic instruction, as well as incidental or natural learning approaches be used to maximize the development of these two basic writing tools. These approaches are examined. (Author/CR)

Five students (ages 9-10) with learning disabilities and severe writing problems wrote in dialog journals using a standard word processor and then using a word processor with speech-synthesis and word prediction features. The special features had a strong effect on the legibility and spelling for four students. (Author/CR)

Elementary students with writing problems (n=24) were given summer instruction in handwriting automaticity, spelling strategies, and composing. Participants improved at a faster rate than controls on some measures, and some differences were maintained at six-month follow-up. Discussion of results stresses the importance of affect and motivation as…

Research evidence is reviewed to show that transcription and working memory processes constrain the development of composition skills in students with and without learning disabilities and that in turn other processes constrain the development of transcription and working memory skills. Interventions for transcription are discussed. (Author/CR)

Two studies compared handwriting, word processing, and word prediction with speech-synthesis software (PR) with three intermediate-grade students with severe spelling problems. Results suggested that PR software can improve the writing of such students under certain circumstances but that constraints, such as the difficulty of using the software,…

Seventeen fourth and fifth graders with severe writing disabilities received a weekly one-hour individual tutorial which focused equally on transcription (handwriting and spelling) and composition skills. Students showed reliable improvement in composition and handwriting automaticity but not in spelling. Suggestions for teaching phonological…