Syntax PAL: a system to improve the written syntax of language-impaired users.
In our work with children who have difficulty with spelling or with the physical action of writing, we have found a number of children who also have difficulty with written grammar.  As an extension of PAL, an existing predictive spelling and typing aid, we have developed a writing aid to help these children with sentence construction.  The enhanced system uses the syntax of the initial part of a sentence to enhance the position in the prediction list of syntactically correct words.  It was postulated that this would discourage the use of incorrect syntax and encourage the use of correct syntax.  In two case studies, the use of Syntax PAL significantly improved the quality and quantity of one child's written output, but had little effect on the other child's work.
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Dundee, Scotland.
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Morris
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Newell
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Booth
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Ricketts
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Arnott
D000293:Adolescent; D002547:Cerebral Palsy; D002648:Child; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities; D004314:Down Syndrome; D004401:Dysarthria; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D011380:Programmed Instructions as Topic; D012984:Software; D012985:Software Design; D016136:Spina Bifida Occulta; D014956:Writing