Effects of Self-assessment and Goal-setting Intervention on Handwriting for Children with Autism

Headnote

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Here's how 1 write (HHIW) interventions on handwriting for children with autism in special education classroom. Multiple baseline design across behaviors was established among children with autism. After the intervention of HHIW, behaviors such as properly spacing words, staying on the lines, and correctly copying words increased in the children. All 3 behaviors showed positive changes during maintenance probes.

Key Words: Handwriting, Children with autism, Here 's how / write

1. Introduction

While writing comprises a range of activities from handwriting to essay writing, it can be said that the former presents the foundation for the ability to write cohesively. Handwriting can be a means for academic achievement in school-age children with disabilities [1], However, many school-age children with autism encounter difficulties with handwriting, compared to children without autism [2]. This may be due to a variety of causes, including impairments in social, linguistic, and cognition skills, behaviors or preferences to abnormal degrees, or underdeveloped motor muscles.

Self-monitoring and self-assessments are useful in improving the writing skills of children with disabilities, and may also help enhance their sense of self-efficacy [3]. Among the existing studies in Korea regarding autistic children's writing, there are studies relating to the improvement of spelling through computer-based video modeling as well as studies relating to the communication behavior of nonverbal students with autistic spectrum disorders through handwriting augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention with touch-screen based devices [4][5], "Here's How I Write" (HHIW) [6] is a standardized English version of the Hebrew original "Kach Ani Kotev" [7], which was developed as a selfassessment tool. In particular, the tool was developed in such a way as to be suited for application of RTI (response-to-intervention) models. It also helps children to set their own goals by consulting with instructors, and has been designed to be amenable to support by intervention. While the efficacy of such intervention programs have been examined in foreign studies, to the best of our knowledge there have been no studies regarding the improvement of handwriting through self-directed learning methods such as self-assessment and goalsetting in Korea. Therefore, in this study we administer intervention through self-assessment and goal-setting focusing on children with autism, and analyze the...