Writing Skills Improvements for Students with Asperger Syndrome

[[abstract]]In this study, action research was applied, and Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) was used as the primary strategy to teach writing process to four middle school students with Asperger Syndrome. Furthermore, the article illustrates the writing difficulties of students with Asperger Syndrome as well as the adjustments of SRSD strategy to help students with Asperger Syndrome solve their individual writing problems were illustrated. In terms of writing difficulties, students with Asperger Syndrome were not able to meet the writing requirements which are related to readers, writers, and contents. That is, they have difficulties in audience awareness (the theory of mind), which influences their entire writing performance, especially in writing experiences and expressions. They also have difficulties with executive function (EF), which influences their abilities to think, organize, and revise the content while writing. In addition, they have difficulties in central coherence, which influences their capabilities of choosing writing materials, using vocabulary, and making revisions. Other writing difficulties related to grammar and handwriting were also outlined. With regard to teaching progress, the process and the benefits of teaching SRSD to two students with Asperger Syndrome were discussed in detail. Through self-conversation and reflection, the teacher identified students’ writing difficulties. The teacher also made proper adjustments to the SRSD strategy based on the theory of Chinese writing instructions. Finally, students with Asperger Syndrome can successfully solve their writing problems in choosing writing materials, using proper grammar and vocabulary, and expressing their thoughts. In sum, this research provides an evidence of desirable effects of the SRSD strategy on improvement of writing skills in students with Asperger Syndrome. Based on the results, suggestions were made to parents, teachers, and future researchers to adopt SRSD strategy to improve students’ writing skills.