AT and the Writing Process

My previous posts have outlined the basic principles of AT and highlighted examples of AT devices and tools that can be implemented to support students in the classroom. This post is going to focus on tools to support students throughout each stage of the writing process.

Prewriting

This stage is all about inspiration and organizing thoughts, both of which can be especially difficult for students with disabilities. Graphic Organizers can be used to support students during this stage. Graphic organizers can be designed specifically to fit the needs of the individual student and can be used to organize thoughts and provide inspiration. These tools can be low-tech (printed or drawn on paper) or high-tech (computer-based, on an iPad or SmartBoard).

Drafting

This is the stage where students need to put their thoughts onto paper. This can be difficult for students with special needs for a variety of reasons. Students with fine motor issues may find it difficult to handwrite their draft. These students can use word processing software to make the drafting process easier for them. Students who struggle with word retrieval can benefit from word prediction with custom dictionaries. Students who are unable to type due to paralysis, physical disabilities, or fine motor issues can use speech recognition software to draft their writing through speech.

Reviewing

This stage requires students to read over their writing in order to make revisions. Students who find this challenging could benefit from using text-to-speech software because it allows them to hear how their writing sounds without having to actually read it aloud.

Editing

Students who struggle with making revisions to their writing have a number of options for support depending on their needs. Students who struggle with spelling and grammar can use phonetic spell checks, talking dictionaries, thesauruses, text correction, or track changes and insert comments features along with word processing software.

Publishing or Sharing

 Students who struggle with this part of the writing process can use multimedia presentation applications, digital storytelling, or blogs to make sharing more accessible to them.

Writing is an area that is extremely difficult for many students, especially students with disabilities. Therefore, I found it to be very helpful to learn about a variety of ways to support students throughout the writing process using AT. I did not previously know about many of these programs/features and I am excited to try them in my future practice.