Speech-to-text intervention to support text production for students with intellectual disabilities

Writing is a multifaceted skill involving planning, transcription, and revision that is challenging for students with intellectual disabilities. Some studies have examined reading abilities. However, there needs to be more research on writing proficiency in this population. Especially concerning writing with the assistance of technologies such as speech-to-text (STT). To contribute to filling the research gap, this study aimed to investigate whether tailored speech-to-text interventions enhance text production for students with intellectual disabilities.

The research utilised a single-subject design involving the participation of four students (three girls and one boy) aged 10-13 years with mild intellectual disabilities in a rural municipality in Sweden.

The results of this study revealed significant improvement post-intervention for all four students in word, sentence and text qualities.

The findings suggest that STT offers a valuable tool for students with intellectual disabilities struggling with handwriting, providing new opportunities for self-expression. Pedagogical implications are discussed.