1 of 18

Writing is Hard!

Using Resource Teachers and accommodating students with disabilities during writing instruction

2 of 18

Why is writing so hard?

  • Oral language/vocabulary
  • Executive function
  • Fine motor skills
  • Phonological awareness
  • Alphabetic knowledge and spelling
  • Joint attention and working memory
  • Visual-motor skills - letter formation
  • Reading skills - decoding, fluency and comprehension

3 of 18

Who has problems with writing?

Almost everyone!

Autism

  • Executive function
  • Language
  • Joint attention
  • Sometimes fine motor

Reading Disabilities

  • Phonological awareness
  • Spelling/phonics
  • Letter formation
  • Sometimes oral language difficulties

ADHD

  • Executive function
  • Working memory
  • Organization

4 of 18

In most cases

It may look like the child is saying “I won’t.”

Most of the time, the child

really means “I can’t.”

5 of 18

What does it feel like?

Decoding (minutes 0 - 3)

​

Processing (minutes 0 - 2:40)

6 of 18

Disability Simulations

Reading Disability

  • Read the simulation text
  • Write a one-paragraph response using the simulation alphabet

​

Fine Motor Issues

  • Read the passage
  • Write a two-paragraph response using your non-dominant hand

Autism

  • Watch the simulation video
  • Write a “small moment” based on the video using a limited number of words

7 of 18

Simulation Links

Reading Disability

​

Fine Motor Passage

​

Autism

​

8 of 18

Share

  • How was your experience?
  • What did you expect?
  • How was your experience similar to or different from your expectations?
  • How did you feel?

9 of 18

Return to Simulations

...with accommodations!

​

Reading Disability

Use Dragon Dictation to write your paragraph

​

Fine Motor Issues

Write or type your paragraph using your dominant hand

​

Autism

Re-write your passage using sentence frames and a word bank

10 of 18

Share

  • How did the accommodations change your experience?
  • How could this apply to the classroom?

11 of 18

How do I use this information?

Your EC teacher is here for you!

  • Technology
  • Visual Supports
  • Graphic Organizers, word banks and sentence frames
  • Self-monitoring tools
  • Modifying assignments

12 of 18

Technology

Dictation Software

​

​

Word

Prediction

Picture Word Banks

(PixWriter or Boardmaker)

Word Processing

13 of 18

Visual Supports

  • Boardmaker software - many images!
  • Help with word/learning walls
  • Personal word banks

​

14 of 18

Graphic Organizers

  • Essential for children with writing difficulties
  • Custom-made for your assignment
  • Many generic ones available
  • See folder here

​

​

15 of 18

Self-Monitoring Tools

  • Checklists
  • Timers (visual or regular)
  • Task boards

16 of 18

Modifying Assignments

  • Reduced for length
  • Extended time
  • Modify content - reduce complexity, write about recent experience, use photographs as prompts
  • Differentiated texts - lower level, read-aloud
  • Add visuals/reduce language

17 of 18

The Rule of Thumb...

What’s “fair” is not everyone getting the same thing.

What’s fair is everyone getting what they need.

18 of 18

Questions?