Article: Take the Pencil Out of the Process- Broun

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.