Take the
Pencil Out of the Process; Leslie Broun
This article
was is an excellent example of compensatory assistive technology in action.
Denying students the opportunity to use a typing device for written work in
class is archaic. Like Broun, I am discouraged to think that some educators and
parents are reluctant to employee keyboarding, or equivalent as a reasonable
alternative to handwriting for students lacking the fine motor skills necessary
to print either efficiently or legibly, particularly students have ASD or other
cognitive impairments.
While the
argument that students need to practice handwriting in order to improve is
valid and in time positive growth occurs, there are other circumstances where growth
does not occur. For those students with diagnosed deficiencies in the writing process,
struggling with hand writing tasks fuels frustration, causes disengagement and
often results in discipline concerns. As indicated in Broun’s article, the
ongoing inability to quickly construct legible hand writing is typically called
dysgraphia (printing), or dyscripta (writing). Ultimately, it is important to
recognize from this article that students struggling with handwriting miss out
on quality instruction, generally write less, and verbalize less despite having
what is a satisfactory, or above understanding of concepts.
The research
discussed in Broun’s article related to motor impairments found in both autism
and Asperger’s syndrome (I don’t think Asperger’s is still classified on the ASD?)
is interesting to examine. Specifically information related to underlying
neurological abnormalities causing differences in the execution of motor tasks.
This information also serves as a reminder of the additional challenges students
with ASD experience with fine motor function and of course the process of
handwriting.
Reference to
non-verbal students in this article, specifically the Carly Fleischmann situation speaks
to the importance of employing typing, or new related apps as a communication
medium. For Carly’s parents to recognize that Carly was an intelligent and
articulate young lady is a profound realization for parents and speaks to the
importance of not being dismissive.
I found the part
of the article where Bourn states that handwriting is not an essential component
of literacy, but rather an exercise in drawing. As she further argues, it is
the thought process we are concerned about, not the functional elements of
handwriting- this reality validates the importance of print software/apps as an
important alternative to conventional writing expectations. Knowing the answer
is far more important than knowing how to write the answer.
It is
evident that many students, particularly those with ASD diagnoses and others
with fine motor impairments benefit from removing the pencil from the writing
process. As suggested in the closing arguments of Broun’s article, it is
important that students employing assistive technology receive explicit
instruction related to software and hardware functioning. It is evident that
students with access to typing media combined with appropriate scaffolding will
experience independence and confidence in their ability to convey thoughts and
understanding.
