Can Students with LD Become Competent Writers?

The inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education curriculum and in district and state assessment programs has major implications for instruction because many of these students are expected to earn standard high-school diplomas and to meet the same standards as their typically achieving peers. This is especially problematic in the area of writing, which involves the use of many complex skills. This article reviews the research associated with a group of instructional programs on writing strategies that are part of the Learning Strategies Curriculum developed by researchers associated with the University of Kansas Center for Research on Learning. The research shows that students with disabilities can learn to use complex writing strategies to such an extent that they can write multi-paragraph themes appropriate for general education classes and that enable them to pass district and state competency tests.