Why Writing Matters Tips and Tools for growing strong writers

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Why Writing MattersTips and Tools for growing
strong writers

• Presented by
• Kristin Gaudio
• Kristy Gaddie

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Incidence of Written Language Disabilities

• A high Percentage (65) of students referred for
  LD have a writing disability (Mayes, Calhoun, and
  Crowell, 2000).
• Reading disabilities may be identified sooner,
  but writing disabilities are more persistent
• While there has been tremendous research in
  reading, writing research has been limited or
  ignored
• Children with oral language impairments are six
  times more likely to have difficulty reading (and
  hence writing) than typically developing peers
  (Catts)

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Writing Theres more to it than meets the
eye!

• Writing is not the mirror image of reading.
  Competent readers do not necessarily become
  competent writers.
• In addition to recognizing letters automatically,
  one must learn to produce letters automatically.
• Learning spelling patterns is more complex than
  learning to read them.

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Writing Theres more to it than meets the eye!

• Putting ideas in writing is a more complex task
  than putting ideas into words. Children with
  difficulties in speech and language are at higher
  risk for writing disabilities.
• Learning to spell is more complicated than
  learning to read. There are many more speech-
  to- sound variations than letter-to-sound
  variations.

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Learning to Talk is Different Than Learning to
Write

• Speaking is a social interaction between
  cooperative, supportive partners.
• Writing is solitary and the responsibility of the
  communication is solely on the writer.

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Aprils Story

• When April starts to write, she feels
  overwhelmed. So she writes as little as she can
  get away with ( and sometimes less than she can
  get away with). She is often accused of being
  lazy and irresponsible. She isnt lazy at all.
  She explains Whenever I try to write, I lose my
  ideas and get all mixed up about them. Then,
  when I see what I am writing, it is all a big
  mess and the ideas that come out are not the ones
  in my head. They look babyish and stupid. Then
  Im afraid that one of my friends will see what I
  wrote or my teacher will show it to everyone or
  my parents will get real mad and say that I
  wasnt even trying. I hate to write.

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Myths and Realities about Writing
DisabilitiesAbstract of a Decade of Research at
the UW

• Myth 1Reading Disability is the most common form
  of Learning Disability
• Reality Writing Disability is more prevalent
• Children who initially struggle with reading
  usually learn to read but have residual writing
  problems
• Many children who can read well have writing
  problems
• Many students who perform poorly on State
  designed assessments of writing have undiagnosed
  writing problems

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Myths and Realities about Writing
DisabilitiesAbstract of a Decade of Research at
the UW

• Myth 2 Writing Disability is a Motor Problem
• Reality Writing Disabilities, like reading
  disabilities, are heterogeneous
• Students may have difficulty with only one or a
  combination of specific problems
• The most common contributing process in
  elementary school is handwriting and/or spelling

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Myths and Realities about Writing
DisabilitiesAbstract of a Decade of Research at
the UW

• Myth 3 Only higher level conceptual processes
  should be taught.
• Reality Lower and higher levels of language need
  to be taught. The ability to write alphabet
  letters automatically is a very strong predictor
  of the quality of writing. Handwriting should be
  taught explicitly, not incidentally.

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Myths and Realities about Writing
DisabilitiesAbstract of a Decade of Research at
the UW

• Myth 4 Writing instruction should be aimed only
  at meaning and ideas.
• Reality All areas of written language should be
  addressed within the same instructional session.
  Handwriting, spelling, and composition should be
  taught together, and instruction should be
  explicit.

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Two Types of Writing Disabilities Have Been
Discovered University of Washington The Write
Stuff

• One group has initial trouble learning to read,
  responds well to instruction, but has persistent
  writing disabilities
• Another group has writing disabilities without
  reading difficulties

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Development of Written Language

• Scribbling and
• Drawing Stage
• Exploration of Space,
• Form, Media and
• Function
• In Reutzel, D.R., Cooter, R. B. (2004) Teaching
• Children to Read Putting the Pieces Together,
• 4th Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ
• Merrill/Prentice Hall

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Development of Written Language
Scribbling/Drawing

• Representing
• Meaning Using
• Dualistic Signs
• Symbols
• Figures

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Development of Written Language
Scribbling/Drawing

• Symbols
• Connectedness
• L -gt R
• T -gt B
• Fill the Space

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Development of Written Language
Scribbling/Drawing

• Dualistic Symbol system matured

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Development of Written Language Pre-Phonemic
Stage

• Letter strings with
• meaning
• The letters do not
• represent sounds

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Development of Written Language Phonemic Stage

• The Early Phonemic
• Stage
• Letters represent
• Sounds
• Uses 1-2 Upper-Case
• Consonant Letters

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Development of Written Language Letter-Naming
Stage

• Use of more than
• 1-2 consonants
• Addition of one or
• more vowels
• sounds

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Development of Written Language Transitional
Stage

• Writing looks like English
• Spellings use sound to symbol
• spellings mixed with
• Conventional spellings
• Over generalize spelling
• rules/patterns

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Typical Prewriting Skill Development in children

• Imitation before Copying
• Scribble (one direction, circular )
• Horizontal and Vertical Strokes
• Circle
• Cross
• Square
• Diagonal lines
• Triangle
• Diamond

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Grasp Development

• Dynamic Tripod grasp (4 ½-6 yr)
• Static Tripod gras p (3 ½-4 yr)
• Digital Pronated grasp (2-3 yr)
• Palmar Supinate grasp (1- ½ yr)

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Whats with the Grip? Adapted from Jan Olsen
, Handwriting without tears

• A good pencil grip does not develop naturally in
  some kids!
• Teach it explicitly EARLY! Model and check.
• A-OK
• Bats Flying
• No one adapted pencil grip works for all.
• Acceptance and compensation is necessary at upper
  grade levels.
• Alternate grip for loosely jointed hands

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Current Writing ResearchUniversity of Washington
- the Write Stuff for Preventing Writing
Disabilities

• Ongoing Since 1989
• Principal Investigator Virginia Berninger,
  Ph.D, Developmental Psychologist
• Funded by National Institute of Child Health and
  Human Development
• Focuses on writing development, causes of writing
  disabilities, and science-based treatment to
  remediate writing problems in children

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University of WashingtonWrite StuffHandwriting

• Handwriting automaticity at an early age (writing
  alphabet letters quickly from memory) is a strong
  predictor of the quality of composition in older,
  normally developing writers.
• If letter production is automatic, then the child
  is able to attend to higher level composing
  processes, such as deciding what to write about,
  what to say, and how to say it.

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Multiple Brain MechanismsInvolved in the Writing
Process

• Writing requires the simultaneous and sequential
  integration of many sub-processes

Integration of Multiple Information Sources
Writing
Memory Spelling Patterns Motor Memory
Language and Higher Order Cognition Vocabulary
Semantics
Gross and Fine Motor Skill Handwriting
Executive Functions Attention Organization/Plannin
g and Revising Working Memory
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Multiple Brain MechanismsMotor Memory

• Students with motor memory problems may take a
  long time to learn to form letters.
• Difficulty getting the motor movements (engrams)
  for letter formation to be automatic.
• Cursive writing may be difficult because of the
  hundreds of little movements needed to make and
  connect the letters

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Signs of Struggle

• Delays in fine motor skills grasp, prewriting,
  eye hand coordination, and hand skills
• Awkward or weak pencil grasp
• Visual Motor difficulties- difficulty with vision
  or motor control of writing utensils
• Difficulty separating the two sides of hand for
  functional tasks
• Poor arch development in hands

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Signs of Struggle

• Poor attention Writing often requires
  considerable mental energy and focus over long
  periods of time.
• difficulty getting started on writing assignments
  
• easy distractibility during writing tasks
• mental fatigue or tiredness while writing
• inconsistent legibility in writing
• many careless errors
• poorly planned papers and reports

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Signs of Struggle

• Decreased Spatial Awareness of body, supplies,
  writing
• Children who struggle with spatial ordering have
  decreased awareness regarding the spatial
  arrangement of letters, words, or sentences on a
  page. Signs of a spatial ordering problem may be
  
• poor use of lines on the paper
• organizational problems
• uneven spacing between letters
• many misspelled words

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Signs of Struggle

• Difficulty Sequencing
• Children who struggle with sequential ordering
  have difficulty placing in order or maintaining
  the order of letters, words, processes, or ideas.
  Signs of a sequential ordering problem may be
• poor letter formation
• transposed letters and spelling omissions
• poor narrative sequencing
• lack of transitions
• difficulty separating big ideas from details

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Signs of Struggle

• Memory
• The rate at which children generate ideas must
  coincide with their retrieval of necessary
  vocabulary, spelling, and prior knowledge, as
  they must be able to think about a topic, draw
  upon facts and concepts, and sequence ideas and
  facts in the right order.
• poor vocabulary
• many misspelled words
• frequent capitalization, punctuation, and grammar
  errors

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Signs of Struggle

• Language
• Language is an essential ingredient of writing.
  The ability to recognize letter sounds,
  comprehend words and their meanings, understand
  word order and grammar to construct sentences,
  and describe or explain ideas all affect a
  person's effectiveness as a writer. Signs of a
  language problem may be
• poor vocabulary
• awkward phrasing and unconventional grammar
• inappropriate use of colloquial language
• difficulty with sentence structure and word order
  
• trouble reading back what is written
• difficulty with word sounds, spelling, and
  meanings

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Signs of Struggle

• Higher-Order Cognition
• In the upper grades, writing relies on
  higher-order cognitive functions. By early
  adolescence, many written assignments demand
  critical thinking skills and conceptual ability
  -- such as evaluating opposing arguments and
  drawing conclusions -- that must be integrated
  with spelling, grammar, and punctuation rules.
• Signs of a problem with higher-order cognition
  may be
• trouble generating ideas or elaborating on them
• difficulty developing and organizing ideas
• lack of opinion or sense of audience
• difficulty with writing tasks that require
  creativity and/or critical thinking

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Several Reasons for Writing Difficulties
University of Washington Write Stuff

• Underdeveloped spelling, handwriting, or
  composing skills, singly or in combination
• Processing problems including automatic letter
  retrieval and production, working memory,
  fine-motor planning, orthographic (visual) or
  phonological (auditory) coding of letters and
  words
• Attention Deficit Disorder/Executive Function
  Deficits
• Lack of a school program with coordinated,
  explicit instruction in writing
• Genetic studies have found written spelling
  difficulties to be inherited

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Common Behaviors of Writing Disabled Students

• Minimal planning- they draw information from
  memory that is somewhat appropriate, writing it
  down and using each idea to stimulate the
  generation of the next one (Graham)
• Minimal attempts at revision, revision tends
  focus on correcting mechanical errors
• Struggle with mechanics of writing spelling,
  capitalization, punctuation, handwriting fluency
• Overemphasize mechanics over form and process of
  writing

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University of WashingtonWrite StuffHandwriting

• Handwriting difficulties
• Must be remediated EARLY!
• Handwriting must be explicitly practiced to make
  motor program (engram) automatic.
• It is difficult to remediate awkward hand
  position, even if attended to early.

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Multi-sensory Handwriting Instruction Adapted
from Jan Olsen , Handwriting without Tears

• Use brightly colored ball with back to students
  to model letters- have kids imitate
• When working on letter or sounds, air write
  them
• Model consistent verbal cues for direction of
  strokes, and train ALL staff to use the same
  verbal cues.
• Use manipulatives or wood pieces to work on
  perceptual skills, and stroke direction.

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In the school setting, Occupational Therapists
can help with

• postural control
• ocular motor control
• motor planning
• Sensory processing
• bilateral motor coordination
• fine motor control/strength
• perceptual skills

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Predictors of Success with Handwriting

• Self Monitoring
• Peer recording
• Self correction checklist
• Placement of letters on the
• baseline
• Automatic/kinesthetic motor program for letters
  (allows higher level cognitive processes)- i.e
  Handwriting without Tears

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OT as a support to teachers addressing written
language difficulties

• As it relates to a written language goal on the
  IEP!!
• If there are writing disabilities, a primary
  provider must be providing interventions.
• Children who have foundational skills for
  handwriting, but have not received appropriate
  training/teaching, will not typically be served
  by OTs.

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Assistive Technology

• Low Tech
• Slant board / 3 ring binder
• adapted papers with color support
• Tape recorder
• Graphic organizers
• Peer Note taking
• High light students fill in the blank tests
• Word bank with color support, sentence starters,
  and close format writing activities

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Assistive Technology Supports

• High Tech
• Keyboarding Begin training early!!
• Oral dictation Audacity.com
• Word Processing
• Text to Speech Software Write out Loud,
  Balabolka
• Word Prediction Software Co-Writer

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Resources

• Denise Decoste Developing a Written Productivity
  Profile- Infinitec
• www.usingenglish.com/resources/text-statistics.php
  
• www.hwtears.com Handwriting Without Tears
  Curriculum and supports
• OT webpage

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