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Computer based writing is a great strategy for students with different types of learning disabilities. It a great strategy for students with dyslexia. Writing with pencil and paper can be intimidating, especially for a student who struggles to spell, but has great ideas to share! Computer based writing allows for students to get their ideas down while typing on a computer, and allows for grammar and spelling checks as well. With computer based writing, students can even access speech to text applications. This is a great way for students to get their ideas across while speaking into a microphone. The computer will translate the spoken word to written form.

Touch-type read & spell. (n.d.). 7 ways to improve writing skills for kids. Retrieved from: https://www.readandspell.com

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Writing is an activity with many moving parts. A child must bring together vocabulary, grammar and mental processing, and then rely on the physical aspect of handwriting or typing out the words.

That's why it requires ample practice and extensive exposure to language for kids to develop strong writing skills.

And because young learners can't just sit down and write the perfect draft, they need to learn the art of revision too.

How important are writing skills?

Writing is intricately linked to critical thinking. It also has implications for performance across all areas of the school curriculum.

Writing is how a child shows what he or she knows and what has been learned.

Students need to be good writers in order to do well on exams, complete homework assignments and eventually compose longer essays and reports.

7 Ways to help kids develop their writing skills

For students to improve their English writing skills, they need to practice as often as possible, learn how to type so they can write quickly on a computer, and be introduced to strategies that will help them develop their skills.

1. Encourage reading. Good writers tend to be avid readers and there is a reason for this. The more a child reads, the more they will be exposed to new vocabulary in context and the more words they will learn. Once a word is part of their receptive vocabulary, it is a lot easier for it to make the transition into productive use (to the delight of parents and teachers who want children to "flex their vocabulary muscles" in writing). Reading also exposes kids to different ways of using words and a variety of sentence structures that they can use in their own writing.

2. Help them get started. A blank page can be intimidating, even for the seasoned author. Children may do fine once they get started but you often need to help them get the first few words or sentences down. Ask them a thought provoking question, make a list or mind-map of ideas that relate to the topic they are writing about or work with them to organize an outline they can turn into a draft. Taking away the stigma of writing the perfect sentence is also key. Once they have some text to work with, it can always be re-shaped and revised. The trick is to encourage free writing from the start, in order to record whatever thoughts come to mind. They can always worry about revisions later.

3. Teach working in drafts. Brainstorming, putting ideas down on paper, ensuring the language and thoughts flow and revising for typos and errors are all different steps in the process of writing. Children need to understand that a perfect sentence doesn't just come out of nowhere, it develops through a back and forth process as the writer writes, reviews and revises his or her text. This is one reason it's helpful for kids to write on a computer. It saves erasing and allows children to make multiple attempts at getting their thoughts down, until they find the phrasing they want. Writing on the computer also make it more efficient to reorganize longer pieces of writing, to help information flow better.

4. Ask parents to help outside of school. Kids learn to write through example. Completing an initial draft alone is sometimes important, particularly if the task requires sharing personal thoughts and experiences, but it also helps to have someone else there to review it. Parents can make a huge difference in how their children's writing skills improve by agreeing to read early drafts. Use the child's words to suggest optimized phrasing and/or help them pinpoint what they are trying to say through conversation. This makes it easier for the ideas to be written down.

5. Allow the use of spell and grammar checks. It's easy to dismiss technology-use as being lazy, but spelling and grammar feedback can actually be extremely helpful for a child who is learning how to write or trying to improve. This is because sometimes there are multiple suggested corrections that force a child not only to notice the awkward phrasing or misspelled word, but to spend some extra cognitive energy thinking about how to correct it. Computers also provide an opportunity to correct errors without the embarrassment or stigma of multiple eraser marks on a hand-written copy.

6. Incentivize free writing at home and school. When children learn to write well they are not just cultivating academic skills, they're also opening up a new avenue for self-expression. Creative tasks foster positive associations with writing, so children see it not just as an activity for learning and reporting information at school, but a way of getting their thoughts across. It doesn't matter who reads what they are writing or even what it is about, it's just a good idea if it becomes a regular activity. Parents might suggest keeping a personal diary with a journal entry a day resulting in a special treat at the end of the week. It's also important for teachers to encourage any and every opportunity for writing, as the more kids write, the more they will improve and hone their skills.

7. Suggest copying activities. Copying or memorizing favorite poems, quotes or any other pieces of written language can help children focus their attention on form, use and meaning and incorporate new structures into productive use. While no parents or teachers would advocate plagiarism, borrowing sentence structures for your own ideas is how children learn to write and improve their writing. They will lift phrasing from everything they read and you can help encourage the process by providing them with specific materials to work with.

Learning difficulties that affect writing

Dyslexia

While no two children with dyslexia will have exactly the same symptoms, the dyslexic child often struggles to cultivate reading and writing skills. If they have a hard time learning to read, vocabulary will be effected, which makes writing more difficult. Spelling can also cause interference when it comes to getting ideas on paper. This is another reason why using spell-checkers is important. Try out different teaching strategies as it's crucial to help these kids before they fall behind in early literacy skills development.

Dysgraphia

For some children and adults, the act of handwriting is actually physically painful or can cause mental strain. Everything from forming the letters to deciding on the spacing between words requires so much cognitive energy that very little is left over for thinking about the ideas, flow, spelling and/or punctuation in an assignment. It's almost always advised that kids who have dysgraphia learn to write on a computer using touch-typing. Learn more about helping kids who experience writing difficulties because of dysgraphia.

What else can affect writing skills?

Dyspraxia

Similar to the handwriting difficulties experienced by children with dysgraphia, dyspraxia has to do with difficulties with fine motor skills. This can make holding a pen or pencil difficult. It also affects planning and organization skills, something that's essential for children who are learning how to write. Brainstorming ideas in charts and filling out outlines can help these kids. Read more about teaching children with dyspraxia.

Slow processing speed

Kids with slow processing speed will need longer to process writing prompts and may have a particularly hard time getting started on a draft. Parents and teachers can help by going over the task instructions several times, giving children an opportunity to talk about the topic in order to generate ideas, and then allowing them as much time as they need to write. Neatness and spelling may not always be a high priority for these kids as the assignment itself is so mentally taxing they will be exhausted when it comes time to revise. That's why the shorter the task, the better, to help children with slow processing focus on quality in their writing.

ADHD

These children may struggle to focus attention on the prompt or see how the idea they are working on relates to the larger text. It can be helpful to give them an opportunity to get up from their seat from time to time and move around the room or stretch. Many kids are successful writing in their heads, that is working out their thoughts before sitting down to record them.

Computers and touch-typing

Kids can start learning how to type at the age of 6 or 7, when their hands fit comfortably on a keyboard. Taking a touch-typing course is a must for the child who is learning to write on a computer. That's because the process of translating ideas into words and sentences is much smoother without the disruption of visually searching for letters.

Touch-typing speeds up writing, allowing a child to write at the same pace as he or she is thinking. It can be a great way to encourage kids to do more writing outside of school, as it takes less time to write a brief email to a relative or compose a comment on social media.

It helps children who struggle with learning difficulties too. They can avoid handwriting tasks and improve their spelling skills, as muscle memory in the hands automatizes the writing of high frequency words.

Finding the right touch-typing course is key. Touch-type Read and Spell takes a multi-sensory and modular approach that allows each child to work through the course at a pace that is right for him or her. Hearing the words, seeing them on a screen and then learning to write them also improves sound-letter mapping and can help with reading skills.
Do you have any tips to add? Join the discussion by emailing our team!

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7 Ways to improve writing skills for kids

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It's important to consider different strategies to improve writing skills for kids: incentivize free writing, teach working in drafts, allow spell-check

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Allowing students to write a persuasive writing piece is a great way for student to be engaged in the writing process. For example, writing about whether or not students should be allowed to play video games in school will allow students to try to persuade the reader. With a persuasive writing piece, students can practice finding references and research to back up their opinion. This strategy is a great way to reinforce engagement in writing.
Richards, R. G. (2002). Strategies for reluctant writers. Retrieved from https://www.ldonline.org

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Description: Writing that paints a colorful picture of a person, place, thing, or idea using vivid sensory details.
Details: The words used to describe a person, support an argument, persuade an audience, explain a process, or in some way support the central idea.
Essay: A piece of factual writing in which ideas on a single topic are presented, explained, argued, or described in an interesting way.
Grammar: The study of the structure and features of language; rules and standards which are to be followed to produce acceptable writing and speaking.
Persuasion: Writing that is meant to change the way the reader thinks or acts.
Revision: Changing a piece of writing to improve it in style or content.

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Alliteration: The repetition of the same sound in successive words, usually, but not necessarily, at the beginning of words: Blown buds of barren flowers...

Apostrophe: A figure of speech in which the absent is addressed as if present, the dead as if alive, or the inanimate and abstract as if animate and concrete: Come, Sleep; O Sleep!

Argumentation: Writing or speaking in which reasons or arguments are presented in a logical way.

Arrangement: The order in which details are placed or organized in a piece of writing.

Audience: Those people who read or hear what you have written; readers to whom a piece of writing is addressed.

Balance: The arranging of words or phrases so that two ideas are given equal emphasis in a sentence or paragraph; a pleasing rhythm created when a pattern is repeated in a sentence.

Body: The paragraphs between the introduction and conclusion that develop the main idea(s) of the writing.

Brainstorming: Collecting ideas by thinking freely and openly about all the possibilities; used often with groups.

Central idea: The main point of a piece of writing, often stated in a thesis statement or topic sentence.

Clincher sentence: The sentence that summarizes the point being made in a paragraph, usually located at the end.

Coherence: The arrangement of ideas in such a way that the reader can easily follow from one point to the next.

Composition: A process in which a writer's ideas are combined into one unified piece of writing.

Deductive reasoning: The act of reasoning from a general idea to a specific point or conclusion.

Definition: (See Extended definition, below)

Description: Writing that paints a colorful picture of a person, place, thing, or idea using vivid sensory details.

Details: The words used to describe a person, support an argument, persuade an audience, explain a process, or in some way support the central idea.

Emphasis: Placing greater stress on the most important idea in a piece of writing by giving it special treatment; emphasis can be achieved by placing the important idea in a special position, by repeating a key word or phrase, or by simply writing more about it.

Essay: A piece of factual writing in which ideas on a single topic are presented, explained, argued, or described in an interesting way.

Exposition: Writing that explains.

Expressive writing: Writing in which the author's primary purpose is to describe or communicate personal feelings, attitudes, and opinions.

Extended definition: Writing that goes beyond a simple definition of a term in order to make a point; it can cover several paragraphs and include personal definitions and experiences, figures of speech, and quotations.

Figurative language: Language that goes beyond the normal meaning of the words used; writing in which a figure of speech is used to heighten or color the meaning.

Focus: Concentration on a specific subject to give it emphasis or importance.

Form: The arrangement of the details into a pattern or style; the way in which the content of writing is organized.

Free writing: Writing openly and freely on any topic; focused free writing is writing openly on a specific topic.

Generalization: An idea or statement which emphasizes general characteristics rather than specific manifestations.

Grammar: The study of the structure and features of language; rules and standards which are to be followed to produce acceptable writing and speaking.

Hyperbole: A figure of speech in which there is conscious exaggeration for the sake of emphasis: His hands dangled a mile out of his sleeves.

Idiom: A phrase or expression which means something other than what the words actually say. An idiom is usually understandable to a particular group of people: Up the Boohai (a New Zealand idiom meaning "all wrong.")

Inductive reasoning: Reasoning which leads one to a conclusion or generalization after examining specific examples or facts; drawing generalizations from specific evidence.

Inverted sentence: A sentence in which the normal word order is inverted or switched, usually so that the verb comes before the subject.

Irony: A figure of speech in which what is meant is emphasized by asserting the opposite: You're going to love what the wrecker did to your car.

Issue: A point or question to be decided.

Jargon: The technical language of a particular group that is inappropriate in most formal writing since it is frequently not understandable by those outside the group.

Journal: A daily record of thoughts, impressions, and autobiographical information, often a source of ideas for writing.

Juxtaposition: Placing two ideas (words or pictures) side by side so that their closeness creates a new, often ironic, meaning.

Limiting the subject: Narrowing the subject to a specific topic that is suitable for the writing or speaking assignment.

Literal: The actual or dictionary meaning of a word; language that means exactly what it appears to mean.

Loaded words: Words that are slanted for or against the subject.

Logic: The science of correct reasoning; correctly using facts, examples, and reasons to support the point.

Malapropism: the usually unintentionally humorous misuse or distortion of a word or phrase; especially the use of a word sounding somewhat like the one intended but ludicrously wrong in the context (Merriam Webster): "The police are not here to create disorder, they're here to preserve disorder" (Richard Daley, former Chicago mayor).

Metaphor: A figure of speech that makes an implied comparison of two unlike things by declaring them to be identical: The ship plowed the seas.

Metonymy: A figure of speech in which one word is used in place of another word that it suggests: He loves to read Dickens (Dickens' work); or the substitution of the part for the whole - I saw fifty sails (ships with sails).

Modifier: A word, phrase, or clause that limits, alters, or describes another word or group of words.

Narration: Writing that tells a story or recounts an event.

Objective: Relating information in an impersonal manner; without interjecting feelings or opinions.

Observation: Paying close attention to people, places, things, and events to collect details for later use.

Onomatopoeia: The use of words in which the sound suggests the sense: The silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain...

Overview: A general idea of what is to be covered in a piece of writing.

Oxymoron: A two-word phrase containing contradictory elements: jumbo shrimp, friendly fire, numb feeling.

Personal narrative: Personal writing that covers an event in the writer's life; it often contains personal comments and ideas as well as a description of the event.

Personification: A figure of speech in which abstract qualities or inanimate and natural objects are given the attributes of human beings: Virtue is bold and goodness never fearful.

Persuasion: Writing that is meant to change the way the reader thinks or acts.

Point of view: The position or angle from which a story is told, for example, first-person ("I"), third-person ("he").

Process: A method of doing something that involves several steps or stages; for example, the writing process involves prewriting, planning, writing, and revising.

Prose: Writing or speaking in the usual or ordinary form; prose becomes poetry when it is given rhyme or rhythm.

Pun: A play upon words of the same sound but of different meanings or upon different meanings of the same word: They went and told the sexton and the sexton tolled the bell.

Purpose: The specific reason a person has for writing; the goal of writing, for example, to inform, entertain, or persuade.

Revision: Changing a piece of writing to improve it in style or content.

Simile: A figure of speech that directly compares two unlike things, using words such as like, as, or than: The fallen leaves wandered like lost children through the empty streets.

Spontaneity: Doing, thinking, or writing without planning.

Subjective: Thinking and writing that includes personal feelings, attitudes, and opinions.

Theme: The central idea in a piece of writing (lengthy writings may have several themes); a term sometimes used to describe a short essay.

Thesis statement: A statement of the purpose, intent, or main idea of an essay.

Tone: The writer's attitude toward the subject; for example, a writer's tone may be light, serious, sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek, solemn, or objective.

Topic: The specific subject of a piece of writing.

Topic sentence: The sentence that contains the main idea of a paragraph.

Transitions: Words or phrases that help clarify the relationships between ideas and tie them together, for example, nevertheless, moreover, most important, as a result.

Unity: A sense of oneness; writing in which each sentence helps to develop the main idea.

Usage: The way in which people use language; usage may be standard (formal and informal) or nonstandard.

Vivid details: Details which appeal to the senses and help the reader see, feel, smell, taste, and hear the subject.

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Definitions Of Writing Terms - TIP Sheet - Butte College

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The hamburger analogy strategy is a fun way to introduce the important pieces of writing a paragraph. This strategy puts the ideas in terms that students can relate to. The meat is already there, but you will need: the top bun=topic sentence, lettuce=supporting sentence #1, cheese=supporting sentence #2, tomato=supporting sentence #3, and finally the bottom bun=the conclusion. Without all of these pieces, we will not have a successful paragraph or hamburger!

Study.com (n.d.). Teaching special ed students how to write a paragraph. Retrieved from:https://study.com/academy/lesson/teaching-special-ed-students-how-to-write-a-paragraph.html

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The POWER strategy allows for students to get organized before, during, and while submitting their finished writing. Power: Plan the paper, Organize the ideas, Write the draft, Edit the draft, and Revise the paper and enhance. This is a great strategy as a blank piece of paper can be intimidating for students.

Richards, R. G. (2002). Strategies for the reluctant writer. Retrieved from: https://ldonline.org

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LD OnLine | All About Learning Disabilities and ADHD

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LD OnLine seeks to help children and adults reach their full potential by providing accurate information, advise, and shared personal experiences about learning disabilities and ADHD.