CPA #10: Writing KWL Chart - Non-Expert Group

What I Know about supporting students with

Writing LD at school

- Writing disabilities manifest

themselves as issues in expression.
Whether that be sequence, structure,
detail, accuracy or flow.
- It can effec transcriptive
skills, such as spelling, punctuation,
and grammar. Or expressive writing
skills which manifest as as
organization or structural difficulties.
- Transcriptive writing
disabilities are lifelong and often time
consuming, as they relate to the
mechanics that can easily be
accommodated. Sometimes assistive
technology leads to more success than
direct skill instruction in terms of
transcription.
- Expressive writing disabilities
often cannot be overcome easily with
assistive technology so a shift from
traditional mechanical writing
education to a more creativity and
organizational based one will be
necessary as these skills are more

What I Want to know about

supporting students with Writing
LD at school
- How to identify a
writing disability.
- Telling the
difference between a
writing disability and traits
related to poor creativity or
lack of motivation.
- How to approach a
writing disability.
- The deeper cross
curricular impacts of a
writing disability

What I have Learned about supporting students with

Writing LD at school as a result of the readings and
other course materials
- A learning disability in organized
thoughts, sentence structure, and grammar.
- Characteristics include, speech to writing
skills, messy handwriting, difficulty organizing
thoughts, shy and reluctant, easily overwhelmed.
- Dysgraphia: trouble processing sensory
information into writing. Skip words, tire easily,
messy handwriting, slow at planning and
processing. Formal Diagnosis process.
- Dyspraxia: poor fine motor skill, Brain
willing body unable, difficulty holding pencil,
cannot write in a straight line, cannot physically
form the letters.
- Diagnosis is difficult as even the best
writers will struggle and go through the phases
of these disabilities as opposed to suffering
permanently.
- This disability is often overlooked with
common excuses of, rushing, or messy
handwriting.
- How to fix this, Graphic organizers, mind
webs, peer editing, power writing, sentence
starters.
- Accommodations: smaller assignments,
worth smaller weightings. Nobody likes the

easily taught via explicit time

consuming instruction,
- There are four components to
assisting students with writing
disability: generating ideas,
developing and organizing ideas,
revising, editing.
-

sword of damocles floating above their heads.

Provide positive feedback; (more than just circle
the mistake explain the problem.) Set clear goals.
Split tests up over days and writing sessions.
Write out loud, and other speech to text
programs are excellent.
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