Self-Regulated Strategy Development: Effects on Writers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

This replication study examined the effects of a planning and self-regulation strategy on the story writing abilities of young children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Three second graders with ASD were taught a strategy for planning and writing a story using the self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) approach. After learning the strategy, students' stories included more story elements, were longer, and received higher scores on a holistic scale. In addition, increases in planning time were noted. Results support similar outcomes from Asaro-Saddler and Saddler (2010) and provide further evidence that the SRSD approach can improve the story writing abilities of young students with ASD. This study also extends the findings by demonstrating the special education teachers, rather than trained instructors, can effectively implement the strategy with fidelity.