Informal Assessment and Instruction in Written Language: A Practitioner's Guide for Students with Learning Disabilities

The purpose of this book is to help educators increase their proficiency in analyzing and teaching writing to students with learning disabilities. The text is organized into nine chapters. The first is the introductory chapter, the second provides a review of the various components of written language and the types of difficulties that students may have with handwriting, spelling, usage, vocabulary and text structure. The third chapter provides an overview of the writing process approach. The fourth chapter reviews the legal protections and various accommodations to which students are entitled. Chapters five, six and seven contain summaries of instructional strategies that may be used to enhance student performance in the areas of handwriting, basic skills and written expression. The eighth chapter presents analyses of writing samples from students in first-through eighth-grade levels that are reviewed within a diagnostic-prescriptive format. Chapter nine contains writing samples with guided questions that can be used for independent study, as assignments, or for in-class discussions.

Nancy Mather, PH.D., is a professor at the University of Arizona in the department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, and School Psychology. She specializes in assessment and reading and writing disabilities.

Rhia Roberts, PH.D., is an educational consultant specializing in assessment and learning disabilities. She trains teachers and school psychologists in districts around the country.