Writing Disabilities

The Reading Rockets website has long been a resource I recommend to educators and parents for any topic related to literacy instruction. For this blog post, I’m featuring several Reading Rockets resources related to writing disabilities.

Writing Disabilities: An Overview by Charles MacArthur offers an excellent summary of why some kids struggle with writing (especially those with learning disabilities), and how some instructional practices can help. MacArthur was part of the panel that wrote “Teaching Elementary School Students to Be Effective Writers”, an Educator’s Practice Guide published by Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.

In the article, MacArthur recommends that a well-designed program of writing instruction should address the social context of writing, knowledge about content writing, language skills, planning strategies, evaluating and revising strategies, self-regulation. All of these instructional practices are incorporated in my professional development program Keys to Content Writing.

Reading Rockets offers several other resources related to students with writing disabilities:

• Simple Ways to Assess the Writing Skills of Students with Learning Disabilities, by Stephen Isaacson
• Assistive Technology Tools: Writing, by Kristin Stanberry and Marshall Raskind
• Teaching Writing to Students with LD by Russell Gersten, Scott Baker, and Lana Edwards
• Teaching Writing (webcast) by Steve Graham
• Differentiated Instruction for Writing, by The Access Center

And here are two other resources related to writing disabilities:

• Signs of a Writing Disability (PBSParents)
• Dysgraphia (Learning Disabilities Association of America)