Measuring Autistic Writing Skills: Combining Perspectives from Neurodiversity Advocates, Autism Researchers, and Writing Theories

Zajic, M. C. & Brown, H. M. (2022). Measuring Autistic Writing Skills: Combining Perspectives from Neurodiversity Advocates, Autism Researchers, and Writing Theories. Human Development, 66(2), 128-148. https://doi.org/10.1159/000524015

Publication date: 1 Jan 2022 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
2
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 2 (50.0%)

Abstract

Autism and writing are commonly discussed independently as complex, multifaceted entities. However, studies examining their intersections are limited and often oversimplify the nuances innate to both topics. This paper focuses on the complexities involved in studying autistic individuals’ foundational writing skills (i.e., transcription and text generation skills) by drawing on theories of writing and autism grounded in perspectives from the neurodiversity movement. We frame our discussion around the complex sociocultural and cognitive factors important to writing by drawing on the Writer(s)-within-Community model. Our discussion highlights findings and trends among observational and intervention research studies as well as offers suggestions for future research guided by the ongoing reconceptualization and understanding of autistic development. In doing so, we argue that future research should look beyond written products as the only measure of writing development and beyond a diagnosis of autism as the indicator of atypical written language development.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Bibliography inclusion overview

These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:30.

Cited references
82
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
8 / 82 (9.8%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
14 / 223 (6.3%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 14 / 71 (19.7%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 10 / 191 (5.2%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
71 / 223 (31.8%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 55 / 191 (28.8%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
57 / 71 (80.3%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 57 / 223 (25.6%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 45 / 55 (81.8%).
  1. Anne Mong Cramer , Linda H. Mason (2014). The Effects of Strategy Instruction for Writing and Revising Persuasive Quick Writes for Middle School Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders . Behavioral Disorders, 40(1), 37-51. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  2. Amy L. Accardo , Elizabeth G. Finnegan , S. Jay Kuder , Estyr M. Bomgardner (2020). Writing Interventions for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Research Synthesis . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(6), 1988-2006. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  3. Paul Deane (2018). The Challenges of Writing in School: Conceptualizing Writing Development Within a Sociocognitive Framework . Educational Psychologist, 53(4), 280-300. Informa UK Limited.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  4. Fritz-Georg Lehnhardt , Christine Michaela Falter , Astrid Gawronski , Kathleen Pfeiffer , Ralf Tepest , Jeremy Franklin et al. (2016). Sex-Related Cognitive Profile in Autism Spectrum Disorders Diagnosed Late in Life: Implications for the Female Autistic Phenotype . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(1), 139-154. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  5. (n.d.). ref2
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  6. Simon Baron-Cohen (2017). Editorial Perspective: Neurodiversity – a revolutionary concept for autism and psychiatry . Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58(6), 744-747. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  7. Linda Flower , John R. Hayes (1981). A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing . College Composition & Communication, 32(4), 365-387. National Council of Teachers of English.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.2307/356600 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W1514520715
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  8. Kristie Asaro-Saddler (2016). Writing Instruction and Self-Regulation for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders . Topics in Language Disorders, 36(3), 266-283. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health).
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  9. Eva Troyb , Alyssa Orinstein , Katherine Tyson , Molly Helt , Inge‐Marie Eigsti , Michael Stevens et al. (2014). Academic abilities in children and adolescents with a history of autism spectrum disorders who have achieved optimal outcomes . Autism, 18(3), 233-243. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  10. Linda Cartmill , Sylvia Rodger , Jenny Ziviani (2009). Handwriting of Eight-Year-Old Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: An Exploration . Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 2(2), 103-118. Informa UK Limited.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  11. Kristie Asaro-Saddler , Mary Beth Arcidiacono , Meghan Morris Deyoe (2017). Instructional Practice for Students With Autism Spectrum and Related Disorders: Exploring the Teaching of Writing in Two Self-Contained Classrooms . Reading & Writing Quarterly, 33(2), 171-186. Informa UK Limited.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  12. Kristie Asaro-Saddler , Bruce Saddler (2010). Planning Instruction and Self-Regulation Training: Effects on Writers with Autism Spectrum Disorders . Exceptional Children, 77(1), 107-124. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  13. Kristie Asaro-Saddler , Mariola Moeyaert , Xinyun Xu , Xiaoyi Yerden (2021). Multilevel meta-analysis of the effectiveness of self-regulated strategy development in writing for children with ASD . Exceptionality, 29(2), 150-166. Informa UK Limited.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  14. Matthew C. Zajic , Emily Jane Solari , Nancy S. McIntyre , Lindsay Lerro , Peter Clive Mundy (2020). Task engagement during narrative writing in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder compared to peers with and without attentional difficulties . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 76, 101590. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  15. Steve Graham , Dolores Perin (2007). A meta-analysis of writing instruction for adolescent students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(3), 445-476. American Psychological Association (APA).
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  16. Charles Bazerman (2018). What Does a Model Model? And for Whom? Educational Psychologist, 53(4), 301-318. Informa UK Limited.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  17. Susan Dickerson Mayes , Susan L. Calhoun (2008). WISC-IV and WIAT-II Profiles in Children With High-Functioning Autism . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(3), 428-439. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  18. (n.d.). ref7
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  19. Matthew C. Zajic , Nancy S. McIntyre , Lindsay Swain-Lerro , Stephanie Novotny , Tasha Oswald , Peter Mundy (2018). Attention and written expression in school-age, high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorders . Autism, 22(3), 245-258. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  20. Steve Graham (2019). Changing How Writing Is Taught . Review of Research in Education, 43(1), 277-303. American Educational Research Association (AERA).
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  21. Lorna Wing , Judith Gould (1979). Severe impairments of social interaction and associated abnormalities in children: Epidemiology and classification . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 9(1), 11-29. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  22. Julie E. Dockrell , Jessie Ricketts , Tony Charman , Geoff Lindsay (2014). Exploring writing products in students with language impairments and autism spectrum disorders . Learning and Instruction, 32, 81-90. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  23. Naomi Chaytor , Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe (2003). The Ecological Validity of Neuropsychological Tests: A Review of the Literature on Everyday Cognitive Skills . Neuropsychology Review, 13(4), 181-197. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  24. Lorna Bourke , Megan Marriott-Fellows , Amanda Jones , Lorna Humphreys , Simon J. Davies , Antonio Zuffiano et al. (2020). Writing with imagination: the influence of hot and cold executive functions in children with autism characteristics and typically developing peers . Reading and Writing, 33(4), 935-961. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  25. Heather M. Brown *Autistic author. Learn more… , Perry D. Klein (2011). Writing, Asperger Syndrome and Theory of Mind . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 41(11), 1464-1474. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  26. Janet M. Sturm (2012). An Enriched Writers' Workshop for Beginning Writers with Developmental Disabilities . Topics in Language Disorders, 32(4), 335-360. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health).
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  27. Edgar H. Schuster (2004). National and State Writing Tests: The Writing Process Betrayed . Phi Delta Kappan, 85(5), 375-378. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  28. Uta Frith (2004). Emanuel Miller lecture: Confusions and controversies about Asperger syndrome . Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45(4), 672-686. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  29. Matthew C. Zajic , Emily Jane Solari , Nancy S. McIntyre , Lindsay Lerro , Peter Clive Mundy (2020). Overt planning behaviors during writing in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder . Research in Developmental Disabilities, 100, 103631. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  30. (n.d.). ref15
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  31. Rebecca Wood (2021). Autism, intense interests and support in school: from wasted efforts to shared understandings . Educational Review, 73(1), 34-54. Informa UK Limited.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  32. Uta Frith , Francesca Happé (1994). Language and communication in autistic disorders . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 346(1315), 97-104. The Royal Society.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  33. Sarah-Maude Coll , Nicholas E.V. Foster , Alexa Meilleur , Simona M. Brambati , Krista L. Hyde (2020). Sensorimotor skills in autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 76, 101570. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  34. Catherine Lord , Susan Risi , Pamela S. DiLavore , Cory Shulman , Audrey Thurm , Andrew Pickles (2006). Autism From 2 to 9 Years of Age . Archives of General Psychiatry, 63(6), 694. American Medical Association (AMA).
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  35. Matthew C. Zajic , Michael Dunn , Virginia W. Berninger (2019). Case Studies Comparing Learning Profiles and Response to Instruction in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Oral and Written Language Learning Disability at Transition to High School . Topics in Language Disorders, 39(2), 128-154. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health).
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  36. Steven K. Kapp *Autistic author. Learn more… (2018). Social Support, Well-being, and Quality of Life Among Individuals on the Autism Spectrum . Pediatrics, 141(Supplement_4), S362-S368. American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
    AutiHub · Autistic Scholars Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  37. Gayle Dillon , Jean Underwood (2012). Computer mediated imaginative storytelling in children with autism . International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 70(2), 169-178. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  38. (n.d.). ref20
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  39. Suzanne Goh , Agnes H. Whitaker , Judith Feldman , Mary Beth Cull , Ken Hoyte , Molly Algermissen et al. (2013). Teaching non-verbal children with autistic disorder to read and write: a pilot study . International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 59(2), 95-107. Informa UK Limited.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  40. Robert C. Pennington , Monica E. Delano (2012). Writing Instruction for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders . Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 27(3), 158-167. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  41. Deborah E. Griswold , Gena P. Barnhill , Brenda Smith Myles , Taku Hagiwara , Richard L. Simpson (2002). Asperger Syndrome and Academic Achievement . Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 17(2), 94-102. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  42. Benjamin Dirlikov , Laurent Younes , Mary Beth Nebel , Mary Katherine Martinelli , Alyssa Nicole Tiedemann , Carolyn A. Koch et al. (2017). Novel automated morphometric and kinematic handwriting assessment: A validity study in children with ASD and ADHD . Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 10(2), 185-201. Informa UK Limited.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  43. Steven K. Kapp *Autistic author. Learn more… , Kristen Gillespie-Lynch , Lauren E. Sherman , Ted Hutman (2013). Deficit, difference, or both? Autism and neurodiversity. Developmental Psychology, 49(1), 59-71. American Psychological Association (APA).
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1037/a0028353 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2124715426
    AutiHub · Autistic Scholars Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  44. Ami Klin (2000). Attributing Social Meaning to Ambiguous Visual Stimuli in Higher‐functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome: The Social Attribution Task . Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41(7), 831-846. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  45. Amy L. Donaldson , Karen Krejcha , Andy McMillin (2017). A Strengths-Based Approach to Autism: Neurodiversity and Partnering With the Autism Community . Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 2(1), 56-68. American Speech Language Hearing Association.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  46. (n.d.). ref25
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  47. Kristen Gillespie-Lynch , Emily Hotez , Matthew C. Zajic , Ariana Riccio , Danielle DeNigris , Bella Kofner et al. (2020). Comparing the writing skills of autistic and nonautistic university students: A collaboration with autistic university students . Autism, 24(7), 1898-1912. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  48. Mary Ann Winter-Messiers (2007). From Tarantulas to Toilet Brushes . Remedial and Special Education, 28(3), 140-152. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  49. Elizabeth Finnegan , Amy L. Accardo (2018). Written Expression in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 868-882. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  50. Ariane B. Schneider , Robin S. Codding , Georgiana S. Tryon (2013). Comparing and Combining Accommodation and Remediation Interventions to Improve the Written-Language Performance of Children With Asperger Syndrome . Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 28(2), 101-114. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  51. Deb Keen , Amanda A. Webster , Greta Ridley (2016). How well are children with autism spectrum disorder doing academically at school? An overview of the literature . Autism, 20(3), 276-294. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  52. John R. Hayes (2012). Modeling and Remodeling Writing . Written Communication, 29(3), 369-388. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  53. R.T. Kellogg (2008). Training writing skills: A cognitive developmental perspective . Journal of Writing Research, 1(1), 1-26. ARLE (International Association for Research in L1 Education).
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  54. Steve Graham (2018). A Revised Writer(s)-Within-Community Model of Writing . Educational Psychologist, 53(4), 258-279. Informa UK Limited.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  55. Nicci Grace , Peter Gregory Enticott , Beth Patricia Johnson , Nicole Rinehart (2017). Do Handwriting Difficulties Correlate with Core Symptomology, Motor Proficiency and Attentional Behaviours? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(4), 1006-1017. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  56. Giacomo Vivanti , Daniel S. Messinger (2021). Theories of Autism and Autism Treatment from the DSM III Through the Present and Beyond: Impact on Research and Practice . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51(12), 4309-4320. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  57. Steve Graham (2021). Executive Control and the Writer(s)-Within-Community Model . In Executive Functions and Writing (pp. 38-76). Oxford University PressOxford.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  58. Elizabeth Hilvert , Denise Davidson , Cheryl M. Scott (2019). An In-Depth Analysis of Expository Writing in Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(8), 3412-3425. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  59. Vasiliki Mourgkasi , Sofia Mavropoulou (2018). Story composition, mental state language and self‐regulated strategy instruction for writers with autism spectrum conditions . Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 18(1), 36-49. Wiley.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  60. Ian Hacking (2009). Autistic autobiography . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1522), 1467-1473. The Royal Society.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  61. Matthew C. Zajic , Sarah Emily Wilson (2020). Writing research involving children with autism spectrum disorder without a co-occurring intellectual disability: A systematic review using a language domains and mediational systems framework . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 70, 101471. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  62. Ashley J. Harrison , Kristin A. Long , Douglas C. Tommet , Richard N. Jones (2017). Examining the Role of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender on Social and Behavioral Ratings Within the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(9), 2770-2782. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  63. (n.d.). ref40
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  64. Elizabeth Hilvert , Denise Davidson , Perla B. Gámez (2020). Assessment of personal narrative writing in children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder . Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 69, 101453. Elsevier BV.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  65. Robert C. Pennington , Megan Carpenter (2019). Teaching Written Expression to Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Complex Communication Needs . Topics in Language Disorders, 39(2), 191-207. Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health).
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  66. Izaida Ibrahim (2020). Specific Learning Disorder in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Current Issues and Future Implications . Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 4(2), 103-112. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  67. Johanna R. Price , Gary E. Martin , Kong Chen , Jennifer R. Jones (2020). A Preliminary Study of Writing Skills in Adolescents with Autism Across Persuasive, Expository, and Narrative Genres . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(1), 319-332. Springer Science and Business Media LLC.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  68. So Yoon Kim , Kristen Bottema‐Beutel (2019). Negotiation of Individual and Collective Identities in the Online Discourse of Autistic Adults . Autism in Adulthood, 1(1), 69-78. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  69. Seth A. Parsons , Melissa A. Gallagher , Alicia B. Leggett , Samantha T. Ives , Michelle Lague (2020). An Analysis of 15 Journals’ Literacy Content, 2007–2016 . Journal of Literacy Research, 52(3), 341-367. SAGE Publications.
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  70. (n.d.). ref53
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  71. (n.d.). ref56
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  72. Matthew C. Zajic , Emily Jane Solari , Nancy S. McIntyre , Lindsay Lerro , Peter Clive Mundy (2021). Observing Visual Attention and Writing Behaviors During a Writing Assessment: Comparing Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Peers with Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Typically Developing Peers . Autism Research, 14(2), 356-368. Wiley.
    Type: Article DOI: 10.1002/aur.2383 OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W3085934868
    Crossref OpenAlex OpenCitations
  73. (n.d.). ref61
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  74. (n.d.). ref68
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  75. (n.d.). ref70
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  76. (n.d.). ref75
    Type: Other
    Crossref
  77. (n.d.). ref78
    Type: Other
    Crossref