Characterization of the Writing Process of Children and Preadolescents of TD and DLD: Application of the Eye and Pen Technique

Abstract

To contribute to the discussion about the dynamics in the development of translation and transcription processes in writing (Berninger & Winn, 2006), it is proposed to characterize this process in children and preadolescents with TD and DLD, from an ontogenetic perspective. The study is quantitative with a descriptive-comparative scope with a non-experimental, cross-sectional design. A group of 85 schoolchildren from Valparaíso participated, considered according to: the condition (DLD or TD) and the age/grade (8 years/3rd; TD n=20 and DLD n=20; 11 years/6th; TD n=25 and DLD n=20). They are evaluated with two tasks recorded in real time using the Eye and Pen 3 software (Alamargot, Chesnet, Dansac & Ros, 2006), measuring bursts of writing, handwriting and spelling knowledge. The results show that the 8-year-old/3rd-year DLD group is out of step with their TD peers: in translation, they produce significantly shorter bursts and, in transcription, they are significantly slower, less automated in their handwriting, and have significantly more spelling errors. On the other hand, within each group, significant differences were observed in the length of the bursts and in the automation when comparing children with preadolescents. It was concluded that the two central elements of writing development were the extension of the burst and the automation of writing, regardless of the condition of the subjects. Also, it was noted that between the 3rd and 6th grade, students with DLD show a similar trajectory to that of schoolchildren with TD.