Apps, Software, Tools and Strategies for Writing Remediaton and Compensation

Below is a list  of apps, software, tools and strategies that could be used to aid students in the writing process. I have briefly described each and have indicated in bold print, whether it is compensatory or remediation strategy. We have underlined where we have identified where in the writing process this strategy would best fit. The specific components of the writing task analysis used with each are italicized. Each strategy is also identified as high, mid or low tech. We have embedded short YouTube videos or links which provide a little more information and a more in-depth look at what these apps, software, tools and strategies look like in use.

As you read the descriptions, keep in mind these descriptions of low, medium and high tech

Low-tech solutions:

These may be all a student needs or they may be part of the solution for handwriting.

They have no mechanical, electrical or computer components, and can be made from dollar store items (ie: pencil grips, slant boards, felt tip markers)

Mid-tech solutions:

These are for students whose learning disabilities interfere with their handwriting, and are often portable word processing devices ( keyboarding, fusion, writer). Students do need to develop keyboarding skills to quickly locate the keys they need.

High-tech solutions:

These are computer software applications that give students who have difficulty with handwriting, word processing programs or speech recognition software. (ie: Dragon Naturally Speaking, Co:Writer)

Fluid 2
This app is a virtual pond with music that allows students to interact and receive sensory feedback. It prepares students mentally and emotionally to begin the writing process. This app is especially beneficial for those students on the Autism spectrum who benefit from sensory redirection to prepare for changes or transitions in subject or activity. This is a high tech assistive technology that would help prepare for attention to task. If students get overwhelmed, this app may be a nice break to help deal with the stress of writing. Fluid2 is a high tech strategy that is both compensatory and remedial. It compensates for students’ inability to regulate themselves yet at the same time it remediates as it teaches students an independent strategy to control emotion and sustain attention. Fuid2 would fit  into the preparation for task aspect of the writing process. It could be used before writing to prepare a student for writing or as a break from writing if a student started to become overwhelmed. More specifically, it encompasses self regulation and other executive functions, emotion/motivation, sensorimotor, visual, auditory and proprioception.

Sound Curtain
Sound Curtain is a very simple noise masking app that works on the iPhone when you're wearing a set of mic-enabled headphones. It performs much better than its $0.99 price would imply. There are three options: White noise, rainfall and harmonic tones. The white noise is decent if you've been using a white noise machine for a while, but the rainfall and harmonic tones can actually relax you in addition to its noise masking properties. This high-tech app would allow writers to have distracting background noise eliminated. It would allow students to attend to the task of writing. Sound Curtain obviously then, fits into the attention to task domain which is present throughout the writing process. It helps with proprioception, self regulation, auditory filtration and sustaining focus. This is a compensatory app because it compensates for the student’s inability to sustain focus and attend to task.

Click HERE to read more about SoundCurtain:

Pen/Pencil Grips and Other Writing Implements

Pen and pencil grips are low tech assistive technologies that have many purposes. They can:

  •  Relieve writing pain and discomfort
  •  Teach children the proper way to write
  •  Provide writing control for people with poor fine motor skills
  •  Smooth shaky writing
  •  Provide added weight, reducing the amount of finger pressure needed to write

Pencil grips can be remediation or compensatory. They are remedial in that they teach proper grip but in all other ways they are compensatory because they compensate for the negative factors of writing mentioned above. Pencil grips fit into the pencil grasp stage in the lower level mechanical skills area of the writing process. Specifically, pencil grips help with fine motor control, pressure control, efficient graphomotor skills and proprioception.

In addition to pen and pencil grips, there are other writing implements that help students with gasp and control. Some of these implements would include felted markers, shorter pencils and tricondera pencils to encourage the tripod grip. Slant boards are also used to help students who need there hands supported or repositioned as it encourages wrist extension

Graphic organizers

Graphic organizers are a low-tech assistive technology. Graphic Organizers fit into the lower level content skills area because they allow students to brainstorm and organize basic ideas before writing. The specific areas that it targets are organizing ideas, mental planning, sequential processing and vocabulary retrieval. Graphic organizers can be constructed ahead of time for students for various purposes or students can create their own. Graphic organizers can become high tech when you use software such as Inspiration and Kidspiration to create them. Graphic organizers teach students how to organize thoughts so they are remediation strategies. But they also compensate for a student’s weakness in organizing their thoughts and ideas. In this way, graphic organizers are compensatory strategies. Below is an example of a low-tech graphic organizer that a student could use to organize information before writing about a story they read.

Click the link below to download Kidspiration and Inspiration

http://www.inspiration.com/Kidspiration

Click the link below to access a library of graphic organizers for use in writing:

Eduplace Graphic Organizer Library

Handwriting Without Tears

 

"Do I have to write?!?!?"

Handwriting Without Tears is a simple, developmentally based curriculum for writing readiness and printing. The multi-sensory lessons teach to all learning styles - visual, auditory, tactile and kinesthetic. The unique materials help to address letter formation, reversals, legibility and sentence spacing. The goal of the program is to make handwriting available for all children as an automatic and natural skill. It is definitely a remediation strategy and it is low-tech. It utilizes chalk/chalkboard, wood pieces and pencil/paper. The Handwriting Without Tears program fits in to the lower level mechanical skills section of the writing process. It helps students develop efficient graphomotor skills, pressure and control, fine motor control, directionality and motor planning skills. It is a foundation on which to build higher level writing skills. This video gives a quick overview of different steps in the program.

Language, Question or Sentence builder- (Sentence Builder)

This $5.99 app teaches students to build sentences with words using proper grammar and syntax. Students move the reels of words to form sentences that match a picture. The settings can be changed for different levels. There is corrective feedback, should you choose. The program also keeps stats on student performance so their progress can be monitored.
This app definitely fits in to the sentence structure and syntax part of the writing process but also helps to develop writing vocabulary, organization, auditory and visual memory, sequencing, phonological processing, prior knowledge, memory, syntax, grammar and semantics. You could use this app for a student who has a weak or delayed vocabulary to teach words but more likely for a student who has trouble with patterns of sentence structure. This would be a high tech remediation strategy as it teaches grammar and sentence structure and does not compensate for it.

ABC Pocket Phonics
This $2.99 app is designed for iPhone and iPad. It also has a free light version. It is for pre-school to age seven. It can start at the basic level of letter formation, letter sounds, vowels, blends and digraphs. The activities help students develop orthographic processing, phonological awareness and fine motor skills. ABC Pocket Phonics fits under phonological processing, specifically letter recognition, sound/ letter association and phonemic awareness. We could match this app with any student with difficulty encoding words while writing, as well as those requiring instruction and practice with letter formation. ABC Pocket Phonics is a high tech remediation strategy that would also fit into both the lower level mechanical skills (for the letter formation, fine motor aspect, directionality and automatic motor memory) and in the upper level mechanical skills, in particular the spelling stage (phonemic awareness and phonological processing).

 
Co:Writer

Co:Writer is a software program that works in conjunction with any application you write in like MS Word, Online, Blogs, Email, etc. As you type, Co:Writer interprets spelling and grammar mistakes and offers word suggestions in real time. It has word prediction software with flex spelling, which means that it recognizes most attempts at a word as long as it is somewhat phonetically correct. It also has the capability to import words from a topic dictionary, which will make selecting the desired word much more efficient.  Watch this 5 minute video demonstration to see what this software can do!

Co-Writer is a high tech tool which would fit into all mechanical and content areas of the writing process and the integration of all writing skills.  It is compensatory for the lower level mechanical skills as it takes the pencil out of the hand but it also is remedial as it teaches/encourages spelling, punctuation, capitals, proper syntax and develops word vocabulary. It also increases the speed of motor response and allows students to get more writing done in less time.

Dragon Dictation

Dragon Dictation for iPad™, iPhone™ and iPod touch™ is an easy-to-use voice recognition application that allows you to quickly speak and instantly see your text or email messages (up to five times faster than typing on the keyboard). It is a high tech compensatory strategy that compensates for all of the lower level mechanical skills needed in the writing process including fine motor control, graphomotor, directionality, pressure control, automatic letter formation, punctuation, spelling, mental image of the letter and the spatial placement of letters.

Pictello

Pictello is an app that provides a simple way to create talking photo albums and talking books on ipod/ipad. Pictello is a high tech tool for students experiencing difficulty with handwriting as it utilizes speech recognition software.  It is a high tech compensatory strategy that compensates for all of the lower level mechanical skills needed in the writing process including fine motor control, graphomotor, directionality, pressure control, automatic letter formation, punctuation, spelling, mental image of the letter and the spatial placement of letters.

Writer and Fusion

The writer and Fusion are mid tech tools to help students with written output who have trouble with fine motor, graphomotor and spelling. They are portable word processing devices that include a spell check and vocabulary and spelling programs. Theses devices are compensatory as they compensate for weak lower and upper level mechanical skills including fine motor control, graphomotor, directionality, pressure control, automatic letter formation, punctuation, spelling and the spatial placement of letters.

 

                                                   Fusion                                     The Writer                              

     

Typing/Keyboarding Software

Typing and keyboarding software is a high tech compensatory tool which supports students who have difficulty with the all mechanical and content areas including fine motor control, graphomotor, directionality, pressure control, automatic letter formation, punctuation, spelling and the spatial placement of letters. It removes the stress associated with the handwriting process and uses the computer to generate and manipulate text.

Top 5 Typing programs for kids:

1.     Typing Instructor for Kids- $19.99

2.     Ultrakey- $ 39.95

3.     Typing Quick and Easy- $ 19.99

4.     Tux typing

5.     Ainsworth Keyboard Trainer- $48.00

Bugs and Buttons

Bugs, Buttons, Pinch and Grab- ($2.99) allows students to  practice pinching ( thumb and index finger) control. It is great for hand- eye coordination as well which will develop lower level mechanical skills such as pressure control, fine motor control, pencil grasp, visual motor skills and automatic motor memory. This is a remediation strategy as it allows students to develop these skills. Bugs and Buttons is a very motivating app; therefore, it helps with attention to task.

 

Aesop's Quest    

 Aesop’s Quest  is a free educational app which develops working memory, comprehension strategies, reading and focus. This app develops upper level content skills including working memory, real and retrieval, prior knowledge, comprehension, sequencing and other metacognitive skills. It is a remediation tool that helps students practice and develop their skills in these areas. 

Click below for a link with more information about this app.

Aesop's Quest

Kurzweil

Kurzweil is a UDL assistive technology tool that provides literacy support to students with the cognitive ability but not the literacy skills to learn any grade level. This is a good fit for students with SLD, physical challenges or any students experiencing writing difficulties. This software promotes independence by individualizing instruction. It supports fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, study skills and test taking. Kurzweil is a high tech software program that is compensatory and remedial. It compensates for all mechanical skills including fine motor control, graphomotor, directionality, pressure control, automatic letter formation, punctuation, spelling, mental image of the letter and the spatial placement of letters.

Below is an example of what a text could look like after a student has used Kurzweil to help them read and comprehend the passage. It includes highlighted text and bubble notes.








Below is a video that shows the power of Kurzweil:

Here is the link to Kurzweils home page:

http://www.kurzweiledu.com/default.html