Informative Paragraph Writing in Students With Language-Based Learning Disabilities: Comparing Measures Across Two Different Prompts

Abstract

There is a paucity of descriptive research about written measures gleaned from writing samples that can be used to inform clinical practice. This exploratory study contributes data for writing measures obtained from informative paragraphs composed by U.S. fourth- and fifth-grade students with language-based learning disabilities (LLD). This study utilized a sample of convenience from a larger intervention study whereby assessments were obtained in the fall and spring of the same academic year. As part of the assessment battery, students composed two informative paragraphs using a scaffolded elicitation task across two informative writing prompts. Written transcription measures were compared between samples separately for each time point and correlations with oral language measures were evaluated. Findings indicated no significant differences in writing measures between prompts at either time point; however, correlations differed by prompt. These results contribute descriptive data about informative paragraph writing in a sample of students with LLD.