Use of Assistive Technology to Accommodate
Students with Writing Disabilities
Onintra Poobrasert
National Electronics and Computer
Technology Center
Pathumthani, Thailand
Thaphat Mupattararot
National Electronics and Computer
Technology Center
Pathumthani, Thailand
Abstract—At present, there are various kinds of assistive
technology tools in the market to help students who struggle in
writing. Hence, those tools are not suitable for students with
learning disabilities in Thailand, we then need to design and
develop our own assistive technology. Similar to other disabilities,
students with learning disabilities will also need suitable assistive
technology tools for them. However, for students with learning
disabilities in writing, it is important to note that assistive
technology cannot cure but will assist them in their writing. It
does not replace good teaching, but it can be used in addition to
well-designed instruction. It can help the students be more selfconfident and work more independently. Therefore in this study
we also review the work from previous researchers and conclude
with the recommendation for the path to develop suitable
assistive technology for students with writing disabilities
Keywords—assistive technology; learning disabilities; writing
I. INTRODUCTION
Assistive technology can be defined as any item, piece of
equipment that enhance, increase, or maintain the physical
and/or mental capabilities of people with disabilities [1]. It
allows an individual to perform a task that they would
otherwise be unable to do, or increases the ease and safety
with which the task can be performed [2]. Moreover, assistive
technology promotes greater independence and safety by
enabling people to perform tasks that they had difficulty with
or were unable to accomplish on their own [3].
There is a wide range of assistive technology tools
available to help students who struggle with writing. Most of
the tools help facilitate proper spelling, grammar, word usage,
and organization. However, writing skill is extremely complex
and one of the most difficult undertaking, as in a written
communication, the writer must be well-versed and have
extensive experience to sift through the knowledge and
transform it into a form of writing that communicates the
message convincingly [4]. Essay writing requires organizing
ideas and thoughts. In conducting Thai language teaching, it is
required that all levels of students must be able to compose
their ideas. It is found that students who experience problems
in writing do not like essay writing and the majority of those
with poor academic grades have problems with their writing
ability. It is noted that the main issue in writing is that students
do not have the skill in organizing their ideas hence their
The cluster and Program Management Office (CPMO), National Science
and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA)
Lattapol Sae-aue
National Electronics and Computer
Technology Center
Pathumthani,Thailand
inability to compose a story or a plot.
II. RELATED RESEARCH
According to Nanci Bell, under the subject “Imagery and
the Language Processing Spectrum in ICDL Clinical Practice
Guidelines”[5], presented the concept of the problems in
organizing ideas i.e. those who have deficiency in composing
their thoughts and ideas lack ‘concept imagery’ which is the
ability to construct a big picture or comprehensive picture.
Concept imagery [6] has a dynamic characteristic i.e. it is an
image of an action, background, shape, motion, color etc.
Developing concept imagery as a big picture can be achieved
by practicing the ability to construct an overall concept
imagery in order to improve the organization of ideas and
thoughts. Those who can construct concept imagery will have
the ability to better understand the language as they
understand the concept of all-inclusivity and can visualize the
overall picture. They are thus able to analyze and think
through logically, grasp key issues, summarize, deduce,
forecast and evaluate data. Moreover, they understand the
instruction, humor and can express opinions. Those without
the ability to form concept imagery cannot possibly do all that
due to difficulties in several aspects relating to
communications.
While Ghaith [7] mentions about the objective of writing,
generally, as follows (i) to express a feeling or an opinion, (ii)
to imagine (by beginning with “Even if…”), (iii) to tell a
story, (iv) to entertain, (v) to lecture, (vi) to explain or to
provide information, (vii) to persuade or induce, (viii) to
request, (ix) to investigate or make an enquiry, (x) to survey
and experiment with ideas and formats, and (xi) to improve
clarity in an idea.
Additionally, for students with learning disabilities, they
cannot write as same as their peers because of the problems as
follow [8]:
• Creativeness. In writing under a specified subject
matter, for example, writing to explain a picture, a
student who struggles with writing writes few words
and sentences.
•
•
•
•
Statement structure. Overall, lacks statement linkage
and proper composition. There is no clarity in the
subject matter and unreasonable conclusion.
Sentence structure. Uncomplicated sentence and
erroneous sentence, for example, abstention,
replacement and conflict of sentence structure,
excessive use of conjunction such as “and” and the
tendency to wrongly use conjunctions in subordinate
clause, for example, ‘if’, ‘due to’, ‘as a result of’.
Spelling. Students with writing disability usually
commit high spelling mistakes and often write words
that cannot be pronounced.
Using repetitious vocabulary in writing.
III.
METHODOLOGY
Nanci Bell’s concept states that concept imagery is the
smallest part in processing a language and there is a way to
stimulate the building of concept imagery using picture and
question to lead the students to think along similarly and
endeavor to describe the picture using more words, longer
sentences and describe the picture in greater details. Nanci
developed the method “The Visualizing and Verbalizing
Program” [9] such as
•
•
•
•
data and the organization of ideas/thoughts of the sample
groups.
Picture used for collecting data and 12 questions: The
picture used for collecting the data is taken from the training
kits for organizing ideas/thoughts “Visualizing and
Verbalizing” developed by Nanci Bell. It is a tool that helps to
train imagination and transforms ideas and thoughts into
words. It assists teachers in developing the student’s skills in
the thought process and to facilitate transforming ideas into
words and increase their ability to tell a story longer with
greater complexity. Figure 1 shows an example of picture used
in this study.
Picture to picture is the main goal in developing
vocabulary by looking at the picture and describe it in
writing.
Work Imaging is the main goal in developing image
perception and single word vocabulary.
Phrase and Sentence Imaging is an expansion of
image perception from a word to a phrase to a
sentence by starting with a single sentence.
Sentence by sentence. The goal is to look at an overall
view and describe in continuous sentence.
Fig. 1. Picture of Happy Girl
Training kits for organizing ideas/thoughts: Training kits
for organizing ideas/thought is a tool kit (Figure 2) which the
researcher prepared for training the student to better organize
their ideas. The procedure is as follows:
1. The concept in producing the training kit
The researcher applied Nanci Bell’s concept that concept
imagery is the smallest part in the processing of language and
there is a way to stimulate concept imagery by using pictures
and questions to guide the student to think along and try to
describe the picture by using more words, longer sentences
and to describe the picture in greater details. Figure 2 shows
training kit.
Therefore the researcher considers this study to be a
qualitative research as it concerns the problem in organizing
ideas of primary school students. The problem with organizing
ideas is about deficiency in learning which is specific to a
person that requires describing the characteristics of writing
obtained from a set of data and cannot be statistically
concluded. The researcher chose the method for this study as
qualitative research by collecting essays written by primary
school students to conduct the analysis. The description of
specimen sample is a group of at least 30 students who struggle
with reading and writing divided into a group using tools of 16
individuals and another group without tools of 22 individuals
of the age between 8-11 years old from the schools in
Bangkok, Nonthaburi and Ang Thong Province.
Tools used in collecting data
Form used for collecting data: Data collecting form is a
document which the researcher used for recording personal
Fig. 2. Training Kits
2. Pictures for the training kits
The researcher prepared 20 pictures and converted them
into printing media. The resulting images appear sharp,
contains vivid colors with the main component distinctly
outlined.
3. Preparing the questions
The researcher prepared 12 questions to accompany the
pictures in line with the questions appearing in Nanci Bell’s
study. As this research aims to obtain data on the organization
of ideas/thoughts into writing whereas the training kits are
geared at training in imagination and transforming ideas into
speech, the researcher needed to modify the steps in the skill
training from telling in the form of speech to telling in the
form of writing.
Methods for collecting data
In collecting the data from the sample group which were
not trained, the steps in the organization of ideas/thoughts are
as follows:
• Let the student choose the picture they like.
• Let the student organize their thoughts/ideas as
imagined.
• If the student cannot tell a story or face difficulty in
conveying the ideas/thoughts, the researcher shall
summarize the overall picture for them so they can
understand.
• Let the student read the words which the researcher
cannot read, observe their behavior while writing,
record the time required to write and record the sound
of pronunciation or note down the pronunciation.
In collecting data from the sample group which were
trained, the steps in the organization of ideas/thoughts are as
follows:
• Let the student choose the picture they like.
• Let the student organize their thoughts/ideas as
imagined.
• If the student cannot tell a story or face difficulty in
conveying the ideas/thoughts, the researcher shall
summarize the overall picture for them so they can
understand.
• If the student are not able to tell the component of the
picture, the researcher shall raise questions on the
details of the picture which are questions which the
choice of answers is different from the picture.
• Let the student read the words which the researcher
cannot read, observe their behavior while writing,
record the time required to write and record the sound
of pronunciation or note down the pronunciation.
Training in thoughts/ideas organization comprise the following
steps:
• Train to organize thoughts/ideas using pictures
prepared for the purpose. The training method for
organizing thoughts/ideas is the same as Nanci Bell’s
procedure.
•
Let the students write their thoughts/ideas. They can
name a character, place or fabricate a thought for the
character as imagined. The students can tell a story or
organize a story in line with the chain of events i.e. for
event that takes place before, event as appeared in the
picture and subsequent events with total freedom of
thoughts. The main requirement is that the students
must use the answers to the 12 questions which had
undergone the thought process, the process of
organizing their imagination to become a story as
appeared in the picture.
In an event that the student cannot tell a story in writing or
face difficulty in conveying their thoughts/ideas, the
researcher must summarize the overall picture so the student
can understand, as an example, and if the student cannot tell
the components in the picture, the researcher shall raise
questions on the details of the picture where the choice of
answers is opposite to what appear in the picture.
Post test
•
The researcher asks the students to choose a picture of
their liking and write the organization of their
thoughts/ideas by applying the knowledge learnt from
the training. The researcher shall observe their
behavior and record the time during when the students
write their thoughts/ideas.
•
Reviewing the writing.
•
If the researcher cannot read the words written by the
students or cannot guess at the meanings, the
researcher shall ask the students to read out loud and
record the sound or write on a piece of paper.
IV.
ANALYSIS & RESULTS
An analysis of the outcome by experts
The analysis of the sample primary school students on
organizing their thoughts/ideas who did not undergo the
training in organizing thoughts/ideas are found to be as
follows:
• The writing corresponds with the picture but the
students cannot write to tell additional story.
• From the test taken on writing a story before the
training, the students could only write few sentences.
After the training, the students were able to provide
more story details and invent additional story line to
the picture.
• The children’s development has improved. There
were usage of conjunctive words to render
continuation and descriptions of emotions and
various movements. The students were able to make
up a story to correspond with the pictures, able to
perceive greater details in addition to the key
component of the pictures. This resulted in more
clarity in the description of the pictures and a reader
•
•
can visualize the pictures as described by the
students.
There were additional emotions and feelings,
organization of thoughts/ideas that is comprehensible
and the ability to describe the pictures in complete
details. The students could write a lot more, able to
concoct events seamlessly due to having the
information to do so relating to the 12 questions
during the training.
Demonstrate understanding in writing, thought
process and in collecting information from the
question cards to organize and write using their
imagination. Even though the written statement is not
sufficiently coherent or convey the message clearly
but it is good enough to tell a story that a reader can
understand.
V.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
The conclusion of the above mentioned research
recommends the path to develop technology which should
proceed along the concept of building a comprehensive
concept imagery and processing the language covering the
following components:
• Picture is used to develop words i.e. by looking at the
picture then describe the picture in writing.
• To create words, train organization of thoughts/ideas
using Mind Map as a tool.
• Use the function Word Search (To search for Thai
words) as an assistive technology tool.
• Use the function Word Prediction [10] (To search for
Thai words) as an assistive technology tool to
enhance essay writing.
• Use the function Spell checker (To check for spelling
mistake) as an assistive technology tool to identify
spelling mistake and replace with the correct words
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to convey our thanks and acknowledge the
assistance of Miss Wantanee Phantachart, Asst. Prof. Dr.
Puttachart Pothibal and her research team. Our thanks also
extend to the Cluster and Program Management Office
(CPMO), National Science and Technology Development
Agency (NSTDA) for funding the project.
REFERENCES
[1]
Millstone, J. (2014). Assistive technology: How it is and how it works?
Retrieved on September 30, 2016 from https://www.understood.org
[2] What do we mean by Assistive Technology? (2007). Retrieved on July
22, 2016 from https://www.atdementia.org.uk/editorial.asp?page_id=25
[3] Lifetec towards easier living. (2013). Retrieved on September 30, 2016
from https://lifetec.org.au/education/what-is-assistive-technology.
[4] Department of Academic. (2001). Department of Academic, Ministry of
Education. Technical Report on the Process of Learning is the Most
Important Lesson, Bangkok: Center for Curriculum Development
Department Publishing.
[5] Bell, N. 2003. Imagery and the Language Processing Spectrum, in ICDL
Clinical Practice Guidelines: Redefining the Standards of Care for
Infants, Children and Families with Special Need, The Interdisciplinary
Council on Developmental & Learning Disorders (IDCL). Bethesda,
Maryland. 615-636.
[6] Bell, N. 1991. Gestalt imagery: A critical factor in language
comprehension. Annals of Dyslexia, 4, 246-260.
[7] Ghaith, G. 2002. CycleI, II & III of Basic Education: Writing.
Retrieved on February 11, 2002 from http://nadabs.tripod.com/ghaithwriting.html
[8] Thaiubon, D. 2007. Technical Writing in Thailand. 4th edition
Bangkok, Chulalongkorn University Publishing.
[9] Bell, N. 1986. Visualizing and verbalizing for language comprehension
and thinking. San Luis Obispo, CA: Gander Educational.
[10] Poobrasert, O., et al. (2011). Technology-enhanced Learning for
Students with Learning Disabilities. Retrieved on September 2, 2016
from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5992384/