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Supporting the Writing Skills of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Assistive Technologies

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Technology and the Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Part of the book series: Autism and Child Psychopathology Series ((ACPS))

Abstract

The elements of written expression require a set of complicated skills that go beyond the act of holding a pencil and putting words on paper and encompass the complex interaction among physical, cognitive, and sensory systems. Most students on the autism spectrum are likely to have difficulties with written expression that impact their academic performance across subject matter areas. This paper briefly highlights some of the motor and cognitive challenges experienced by writers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as assistive technology supports that can positively impact (a) handwriting; (b) the prewriting process; (c) the writing process that includes drafting, editing, revising, and the final product; and (d) writing conventions that include spelling and grammar.

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Correspondence to Amy Bixler Coffin .

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Coffin, A.B., Myles, B.S., Rogers, J., Szakacs, W. (2016). Supporting the Writing Skills of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder Through Assistive Technologies. In: Cardon, T. (eds) Technology and the Treatment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism and Child Psychopathology Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20872-5_6

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