In an age when students are increasingly expected to demonstrate technology-based writing proficiency, fluency challenges with word processing programs can pose a barrier to successful writing when students are asked to compose using these tools. The current study was designed to determine whether differences existed in typing fluency and digital…

"The Complete Learning Disabilities Resource Guide" (formerly "The Complete Learning Disabilities Directory") has been a comprehensive and sought-after resource for professionals, families and individuals with learning disabilities since 1992. This twenty-first edition is the most comprehensive and current source of resources…

A multiple baseline design investigated the effects of computer graphic organizers on the persuasive composition writing skills of four Hispanic students with specific learning disabilities. Participants reviewed the elements of persuasive writing and then developed compositions using a word processing program. Baseline planning was done with a…

In this article, I discuss research on the use of technology to support the writing of students with learning disabilities. Struggling writers can benefit from a wide range of computer applications for writing. Word processing, spelling checkers, word prediction, and speech recognition offer support for transcription and revision. Word processing…

Writing is a multifaceted, complex task that involves interaction between physical and cognitive skills. Individuals with physical disabilities vary in terms of both their physical and cognitive abilities. Often they must overcome one or more significant barriers in order to engage in the task of writing. Minimizing or eliminating barriers is…

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)

Addition of a word processing component to a study skills program for eight learning disabled freshman students in a community college resulted in higher term paper grades and positive student and faculty evaluations. (CL)

The author reviews software programs in creative writing for students with learning disabilities. In addition to processing programs, software that focuses on story building, revising, poetry writing, and narrative and expository writing is considered. (CL)

The paper reviews the advantages and disadvantages of using word processing programs with learning disabled students, describes some available programs, delineates criteria for selection of word processing programs, and considers expanded uses of word processing with this population. Advantages of word processing programs for learning disabled…

The paper describes two experiments conducted to improve writing skills of learning disabled adolescents. Experiment 1 used creative prompts plus a cut and paste editing strategy. In experiment 2, the same creative prompts were used with the Bank Street word processing program. Writing samples were scored for composition quality (holistic, number…

A teacher of learning disabled students discusses use of the computer to free students from the constraints of their disability. Recommended are learner controlled utilities including word processing, data banks, and the LOGO programming language. (DB)

The article describes an approach by which word processing helps to solve some of the writing problems of learning disabled students. Aspects considered include prewriting, drafting, revising, and completing the story. (CL)

The article considers the research basis for use of word processing with learning disabled fourth grade students, notes the special demands word processing makes on teachers and students in the initial learning stage, and suggests instructional approaches. (DB)

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)

Writing strategies encourage beginning writers to collect, explore, and focus ideas. This paper presents a rationale for fusing the word processor with the writing process and offers a series of pre-writing strategies, such as brainstorming, clustering and chunk writing, to help learning-disabled writers begin writing. (Author/PB)