Using AI to Support Writing Outcomes for Students with Learning Disabilities: Insights from Samantha Goldman

Samantha Goldman

Supporting students with learning disabilities in writing can be a daunting challenge for both teachers and parents. In a recent Dysgraphia Life expert webinar, Samantha Goldman, Assistant Research Professor and Co-Principal Investigator of Project AI Score at the University of Kansas, shared practical strategies and innovative tools designed to help struggling writers using artificial intelligence (AI).

Why Is Writing Challenging?

Samatha Goldman explained that writing is inherently challenging for all learners, but especially for students with disabilities. She highlighted the ubiquitous "blank page" problem: students may know what they want to say but struggle to get started. Difficulties span from activating background knowledge, organizing ideas, mechanics and grammar, to overall overwhelm by the writing process. The goal, she emphasized, is shifting from “writing is hard” to “writing is supported”—with AI as a sidekick, not a villain.

The Importance of AI Literacy

Before integrating AI into education, Samantha Goldman stressed that developing AI literacy is essential. This means teaching stu

dents how to critically understand, evaluate, and ethically engage with AI. She outlined the importance of protecting personally identifiable information (PII) and mentioned several resources and frameworks that support AI literacy for both educators and parents.

Types of AI Writing Tools

AI in education isn’t limited to generative tools like ChatGPT. Common tools such as Grammarly, speech-to-text, and predictive text are already AI-powered. When it comes to generative AI, requirements for effective use include knowing how to prompt, iterate, and keep the student's ideas at the center.

Samatha Goldman shared a range of tools across each writing process step:

Brainstorming and Planning

- IdeaMap helps students visualize and organize ideas, particularly for informational writing.

- NotebookLM allows teachers or parents to upload source material (PDFs, websites, YouTube links), enabling students to access summaries, mind maps, timelines, and even podcasts generated from the material to build background knowledge.

Drafting and Text Generation

- AudioPen and Auditor are advanced speech-to-text tools that clean up spoken drafts by removing filler words and summarizing content.

- We Will Write gamifies the writing process, challenging students to describe visuals and compete in classrooms.

Editing and Revising

- EditGPT provides track-changes feedback for grammar and style, enabling teachers to rapidly focus on a student’s needs.

- Quillbot and other multi-tools offer additional revision support.

- Immediate Feedback: Tools like Snorkel and AI Score offer students prompt, actionable feedback to improve their drafts, essential for meaningful learning.

Organization and Executive Function

- Goblin Tools features a “Magic To-Do” that breaks down big tasks (like writing an essay) into manageable steps, supporting executive functioning.

Publishing

- Tools like Book Creator and CANVA’s Gemini Canvas let students transform their writing into interactive books or games, adding motivation and a sense of accomplishment.

Teaching Prompt Engineering Through Writing Frameworks

Samatha Goldman made connections between writing and prompt engineering. Skills essential for good writing—organization, vocabulary, and the iterative process—are also crucial for crafting effective prompts for AI. She recommended using writing mnemonics and graphic organizers to create structured prompts and offered various scaffolding options, including fill-in-the-blank frameworks and guiding questions.

Voice, Audience, and Perspective

AI offers unique opportunities for modeling voice and audience. By tweaking prompt inputs, students see firsthand how voice (e.g., “as a biologist” or “as an astronaut speaking to a mermaid”) and audience shift the language and content of their writing while retaining core information. This is especially valuable for teaching nuanced writing concepts that can be difficult to model traditionally.

AI to Support Writing: Descriptive Writing

For developing richer descriptive language, image generation tools help students iteratively refine their mental images, which can then be translated into more detailed writing. Students can further use AI to rearrange, combine, and edit their own sentences while retaining their authentic voice.

Responsible AI Use: Keeping the Student at the Center

An ongoing theme was that students should always remain at the center of the writing process, with AI as a supportive tool. Samatha Goldman emphasized explicit teaching so students use AI for support—not substitution. She shared templates and checklists for responsible use, ensuring that student ideas, understanding, and assignment alignment are not sacrificed.

Addressing Policy and Implementation Challenges

Responding to audience questions, Samatha Goldman encouraged advocacy for responsible AI adoption at the district or school level and stressed the need for both remediation and accommodation to coexist. She advised joining local task forces, building awareness of AI’s variety, and maintaining rigorous privacy standards.

Academic Integrity and Assessment

With shifting policies around AI in education, Samatha Goldman noted that current AI detectors are unreliable. Instead, she recommended transparency: have students share their AI interactions and walk through their decision-making process, spotlighting authentic learning and process over product.

Key Takeaways

- Start Early: Tools should be introduced as soon as they align with student needs and privacy guidelines.

- Focus on Process: Use AI to scaffold the writing process, provide immediate feedback, and model complex concepts like voice and audience.

- Practice Responsible Use: Teach explicit guidelines, maintain student authorship, and use reflection to ensure ethical engagement.

- Advocate and Educate: Support initiatives for AI literacy and responsible adoption in educational settings.

Closing Thoughts

AI, used deliberately and ethically, is a powerful sidekick for improving writing outcomes for students with learning disabilities. By keeping students’ ideas, voices, and needs central, teachers and parents can harness technology to enhance—not replace—authentic learning and expression.