People with learning disabilities in expressive writing skills often experience great difficulty completing schoolwork involving writing and using writing in everyday situations. They may not struggle with producing letters on paper, but they can’t seem to effectively use words to express organized and complete thoughts in writing. They may also have difficulty with word usage.
Causes
Learning disabilities in expressive writing skills may involve difficulty with expressive language and visual and auditory processing, as well as issues with the automaticity and motor coordination regions of the brain. These disabilities are believed to be hereditary or caused by developmental problems. They are not solely the result of problems with expressive or receptive language, visual, or hearing problems, fine motor muscle coordination, or learning disabilities in basic writing skills, but they can be complicated by these conditions.
Testing and Diagnosis
Diagnostic writing tests can be used to determine the types of problems affecting the learner’s writing. Through observations, analyzing student work, cognitive assessment, and possibly language assessment, educators can help the IEP team develop an appropriate individualized education program.
Instruction for People With Expressive Writing Disabilities
Evaluation can provide information to help educators develop effective strategies. Typical strategies focus on developing pre-writing strategies to organize thoughts, using graphic organizers, mediated writing, and the use of writing models. By spending time planning before they write, students can use these products as external memory they can call upon when composing, which helps to free up working memory. Teachers or speech-language pathologists may also work on language-based aspects of writing to help learners build comprehension and spoken expression.
Myths
People with learning disabilities in expressive writing are often at least as intelligent as their peers. They may appear lazy but are just overwhelmed by writing tasks. They are often self-conscious about their disability and avoid writing. Uninformed teachers, students, and other adults may see them as less capable when they are actually very capable and bright.
What to Do
If you believe you or your child has a learning disability in basic writing, contact your school principal or counselor for information on how to request an IEP team meeting to discuss a referral for assessment. For students in college and vocational programs, their school’s advising office can assist with finding resources to improve their chances of success.
