Facilitating written work using computer word processing and word prediction.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether occupational therapy intervention that focused on teaching children to use word processing, either alone or with word prediction, was effective in improving the written communication skills of children with learning disabilities and handwriting problems.

Method: A single-subject alternating treatments design was replicated across three children in grades 4 and 5. During the baseline phase the children wrote stories by hand; during the intervention phase, the children wrote stories, alternating among handwriting, word processing, and word processing with word prediction.

Use of word processors to support written communication: an annotated bibliography.

When children with disabilities have difficulty with written communication, members of their educational teams, including occupational therapists and physical therapists, often recommend use of a word processor. This annotated bibliography summarizes a variety of articles that describe the use of word processing technology with school-aged children. The articles include research reports, descriptions of special features used with word processing programs, and guidelines for using word processing with students.