Word processing as an assistive technology tool for enhancing academic outcomes of students with writing disabilities in the general classroom

This study investigated the use of a word processor for enhancing the academic outcomes of three students with a writing disability in a middle school. A single-subject ABAB design was used to compare academic output produced during class time with and without a computer equipped with a word processor. The data demonstrated a clear difference between handwritten and computer phases. In traditional paper-and-pencil phases, students produced outcomes that had more spelling mistakes, more reading errors, and lower overall quality of organization and structure in comparison with the phases in which a computer equipped with a word processor was used. The results did not indicate any noticeable difference in the number of words per text.