An Analysis of Written Dialogue of Educable Mentally Retarded Writers

Abstract

This study examined written communication between six educable mentally retarded students and the researcher. The data base for the study was a daily dialogue journal entry by each student and a response by the researcher for a 40-day period. The topics, language functions, syntax, spelling, and punc-tuation produced by the students were examined. Despite the marked discrepancy between the average chronological age (18.1 years) and the average mental age (10.0 years) of the writers, topics discussed by the students tended to be more appropriate to the students’ chronological ages rather than their mental ages. All students produced functionally relevant, interactive communication. Analysis of structural and mechanical features of the students’ writing indicated that all students’ exhibited limitations in written linguistic production, some interfering with comprehension.

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