Written Work
Recording Ideas
When writing essays or stories some students have problems composing sentences.
They may have a problem in deciding what to write, or because of poor short-term memory they may find it difficult to remember what it was that they wanted to say.
The student can have some excellent ideas and it is a pity to waste them.
Get them to record their ideas orally before they forget them. Once they have got something recorded, they can play it back and refresh their memory at anytime during the writing process. Some word processing programs have this facility built into the program. Young writers can record their ideas in Clicker 5 and 2 Create a Story and 2 Create a Super Story.
Voice Activated Software
Adults Students might use Voice Activated Software. The person using the software speaks into a microphone and then the computer types the words. (You will have used a version of voice activated software if you have booked cinema tickets over the phone.)
Some people find this software fantastic others find it more difficult to use. It takes a little time to get used to using it so don't give up too soon.
Word Processing
When it comes to writing essays or stories the single most useful tool for the student with specific learning difficulties is the word processor.
It allows the student to restructure an essay without having to rewrite.Using a Text Reading Program to Aid Proof Reading.
- Does the student have problems with written work?
- When they spell check a document do they find it difficult to select the correct spelling from the drop down menu?
- When they proof read do they read what they think they have written not what is actually on the page?
If the answer to these questions is yes they will benefit from using a text reading program to aid their writing.
A text reader program will read out loud what has been typed so that the student can hear when they have missed out a word, used the wrong tense or misspelt a word. It will help them proof read their work and significantly reduce errors.
The talking spell check in these programs will enable the user to select the correct word from a drop down menu because they can listen to the words being read out loud.
The talking dictionary in these programs will enable the student to check if they have used a word in the correct context and the thesaurus will help them to enrich their writing.
The student can use the word prediction tool when they are unsure of a spelling and only know the first few letters of a word. As they type the most likely words will appear in the prediction window, from this list they can then make a visual or auditory selection.
If they have difficultly with homophones such as tail (the tail of an animal) and tale (a story) these programs will find all the homophones so they can check the meaning.
Click on the text reading programs below to go to their web sites.
| Claro Read |
| TextHELP Read and Write |
| Write Out Loud and Co writer |
| Kurzweil 3000 |
| Word Q and Speak Q |
| Crick Software |
| Pen Friend XP |
| Textease |
| Dolphin Easy Tutor |
Free Text Reader
Free text readers do not have all the same features as the ones above but they will read out the text.
Getting Started
Dyslexic students can find getting started very difficult. We have all seen the student who at the end of the lesson has only written a few words although he has been sitting there apparently deep in thought.
Getting started can be a nightmare for the dyslexic student but once they have started writing they can have some excellent ideas.
Using story starters, word grids or writing frames can help the student to begin. There are books and programs that provide this support. Crick Software is a good example.
Planning Written Work
Encourage your students to use a writing frame to help them structure their fiction and non fiction writing. Writing frames can cover all manor of subjects. There are some excellent ones in computer programs such as Write On Line.
You can write your own writing frames. Click here for instructions. Writing Frames
Extending a Student's Written Vocabulary
Dyslexic students often only use words in their writing that they are able to spell.
To encourage them to use words that are in their spoken vocabulary can be difficult. Using word grids and writing frames can encourage them to extend their written vocabulary and use these words with confidence.
It can also help students who have word finding difficulties. They know there is a word they wish to use but cannot remember it, as it just seems out of reach.
Word bars and grids can either be arranged by subject or topic and linked to writing frames.
If you have found any really good story starters on the web can you let us know so we can pass this information on to other teachers.
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