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South Carolina Assistive Technology Program Fact Sheet
Assistive Technology for Handwriting and
Written Expression
Handwriting allows people to express their thoughts and ideas in a written format. It is a complex task that involves motor skills, muscle control and strength, hand-eye coordination, and the ability to integrate visual motor and visual perceptual skills. Factors such as attention, comprehension, cognition, memory, and reading ability impact handwriting.
Written expression is a complex process that requires people to organize their ideas to generate an end product. It involves the integration of handwriting, spelling, punctuation, grammar, planning, organization, and revision.
Assistive Technology can help people who struggle with handwriting and written expression. Assistive technology is “any item, piece of equipment, or product, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve a person’s functional capabilities.” Here are examples of some of the assistive technology devices that help with the mechanics of handwriting and written expression.
Pencil Grips
Pencil grips are often used to provide people with a more mature grasp pattern when holding their writing instrument. However, research indicates that an individual’s grip does not correlate with handwriting ability. Some people hold their writing pencils very tightly, resulting in pain and discomfort when writing. A pencil grip may be helpful in relieving that discomfort. Pencil grips come in various sizes, shapes, textures, and colors. Some grips are soft and have a resting place for the thumb, some grips are hard and firm, while others have a trianglular shape.
Adapted Paper
Adapted paper can provide a person with visual and tactile cues regarding where to write letters, words, and sentences on a piece of paper. Adapted paper can have highlighted areas and bold and raised lines. Some types of adapted paper have colored lines that serve as visual cues to indicate where letters should be written. Other types of adapted paper have designated boxed-off areas where people write letters, words, or sentences.
Slant boards
Slant boards promote an upright posture when writing. They allow for better shoulder, elbow, wrist, and finger positioning when writing. Slant boards also elevate the paper making it easier to view. Some slant boards are adjustable so that the angle of the board can be modified for its user.
Apps for Handwriting
There are numerous apps that may help people with the visual motor integration aspect of handwriting. Many handwriting apps allow people to practice the formation of upper and lower case letters and numbers.
Graphic Organizers
Graphic organizers allow people to arrange, organize, and outline their ideas on paper, or a computer, before writing or typing an assignment. There are paper graphic organizers and graphic organizer software. Graphic organizer software uses visual symbols to express ideas. Some software converts the person’s typed ideas into an outline, which can be made into paragraphs. This reduces the time and energy required to write.
Apps for Witten Expression
Apps for written expression help people transfer their ideas into written form. These apps include grammar and sentence building and word banks. Some written expression apps include, text-to-speech (TTS), speech recognition, and word prediction.
Software for Written Expression
TTS software, speech recognition software, word prediction software, and grammar correction can all be useful for people who struggle with written expression. TTS makes word processing more efficient by converting written text into spoken word. Microsoft offers free TTS as a built-in feature of Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Proofreading can be easier when listening to what has been typed.
Speech recognition software allows a person to transfer ideas into text format. Microsoft offers free built-in speech recognition software.
Word prediction software predicts the next word a person will type based on spelling, recent and frequently used words, and syntax. Word prediction allows the user to concentrate more on content and less on spelling.
Grammar correction is a feature built into Microsoft Word. It searches for and flags grammar mistakes throughout a document. Grammar can be checked all at once by running the grammar checker or grammar can be checked automatically and corrections can be made while working.