Writing is a common method of communication that is utilized for a wide variety of reasons. To quickly communicate with a loved one via text, to send an important email update to your boss, to fill out medical information at a doctors office, to purchase a car or a home, to apply for a job, loan, housing, health insurance, schools, financial aid and scholarships. The ability to write allows you to provide others with important information and allows for the dissemination of education.
The Convenience of Written Communication
One major advantage of written communication is its convenience. It allows you to go over and review information at a convenient time. Typically, with verbal communication it requires the immediate availability of the recipient of the message. Also, it can pose the challenge of the individual not retaining all the necessary information. For instance, imagine if your client was at the doctor’s office and the doctor asked them questions about their medical history but didn’t have anything written down, it would be quite difficult for the doctor to retain all their medical information or be able to recall it on any followup visits.
How does the ability to write promote independent living?
Why is it important to teach my learners how to write? Writing is an essential skill that promotes independent living. In many careers written communication is used to deliver information to employees and employers. It is a necessary skill for filling out job applications, important paperwork, sending emails, communicating via text and various common tasks that require written documentation (recording stock, tracking sales, etc). Also, it increases social opportintinutes, it allows your client to communicate and make plans with their friends via text, keep a written schedule in their planner, email their teacher to ask for clarification on their assignments, etc.
How can I work on writing with my learner?
It is important to work on writing with your learner so they can acquire this skill that provides them with so many useful opportunities in their repertoire. For your convenience we have included tools with letters, numbers and words to trace for you to practice with your learners that are learning how to write. You may also want to consider working on tracing shapes. Keep in mind that sometimes you may want to use reinforcing and familiar writing utensils your learner is familiar with when starting out (like a crayon or marker). Also, you may choose to have the learner trace smaller text as they advance their skill. When setting goals for your learner, always make sure to individualize to his or her needs.
Conclusion
Having the ability to write gives your learner access to more opportunities and greater independence. To keep track of all your writing targets and your clients performance you can input these goals into Catalyst. With Catalyst, you can collect all your data on your personal device and then the system will automatically graph your data. Additionally, you can indicate and score the specific prompt you utilized when running each trial. To sign up for a Catalyst trial click here.