IMPROVING THE WRITING SKILLS OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES USING THE EXPRESSIVE WRITING PROGRAM

This study investigated the effects of the Direct Instruction writing program, Expressive Writing (Engelmann & Silbert, 1983), for high school students with learning disabilities (LD). The study used a multiple probe design across participants and results indicate the effectiveness of Expressive Writing in improving the writing skills of high students with LD who participated. The study (a) examined the number of correct word sequences written during the first three minutes of narrative writing opportunities, (b) analyzed the incorrect word sequences by error type (e.g., spelling, use of Standard English, punctuation, capitalization), and (c) examined the generalization effects of Expressive Writing on performance on a standardized measure of writing skills. This study has implications for the practical use of the Expressive Writing program to improve overall written expression as well as pre-skills such as spelling, mechanics, and Standard English usage.