Need Your Input

Hi Rowena,

Congratulations on the typing success. We haven’t even hit 8 wpm yet. Still trying.

I’ll put my 2 cents in for what its worth. I have many reservations about accomodations with assistive technology at this age. Personally, I would only go to it when all else has shown to fail. I feel it just covers things up and does not encourage remediating the problems with language that dyslexics suffer from.

I know many people believe that the assistive technology needs to be there WHILE they are remediating the problems. My concern, in what I have experienced personally with my ds is, too much time and effort are expended on these programs that do not address the underlying issues. They are not being taught to understand what and why their difficulties are if we just go around them and let the technology make the corrections for the sake of a good grade.

I don’t know. I’m just not convinced that this is the way to go, but as always, all kids are different and I’m sure your intentions are nothing but the best. Much continued success.

Where can I find good typing programs for kids? My son loves the computer and if I could find a typing program that he thought was a game that would be fantsatic??

Thanks
K

Try Jump Start Typing. My boys, age 9, love it and are learning to type.

I didn’t use computerized typing program with her. Her teacher recommend I use Diana King’s program, which you read to the child. It was written for dyslexic kids and teaches the keys in the order of the alphabet. You do little bits each night — often no more than 15 minutes. After you have learned all the keys, you start typing 2, 3 and 4 letter words. This translates the process into thinking of words versus key locations. My daughter really didn’t mind it. For fun, we’d use a computerized typing program just to double check accuracy/speed — we’ve used a Disney program, but there are a multitude of them available.

I don’t think I could do it that way becuase I am doing Phono-graphix with him. I think that might confuse the issue??

K.

I am using Read, Write, and Type with my 9 year old son. It is for ages 6-8. I really like it—mainly because he does!!! It uses sounds as well as visuals. So for example, you hear words that start with the sound “f” and you type f when you hear them and space when you hear other sounds. I think it works well with reading remediation. I would not think it would be inconsistent with PG—he might be a bit too young for it though.

Beth

My daughter who is not LD but has some mild issues with writing learned to type in 6th grade. It has made a world of difference for her. She is writing more—she is very creative but found the physical act of writing difficult—she never learned to hold a pencil correctly. She started typing up her notes for tests and started getting A’s in all her classes.

IM has helped my son’s handwriting but after watching my daughter, I think typing well would be a godsend.

Beth

My son is 6 years old and that might work for him. I actaully think I looked at this program once before.

Thanks for the suggestions!
K.

Neither one of my boys were ready to type until age 10, in fact my second one is learning now, and he is nearly 11 years old (I tried when he was 9 and it did not work). Both my boys learned with Mavis Beacon. My older son is a very good typer, and my younger son is getting there.

I’d say fine, if he likes it—it will reinforce letters and sounds. But his hands may be too small for him to really type effectively. So I wouldn’t push it, if he balks (save for later). But if you want to buy Write, Read, and Type, get it from Smart Kids Software on the web. It was $18 there. I saw it for 70 or 80 dollars somewhere else.

Beth

Someone did mention Jump Start Typing, which is excellent, but some schools also use Mavis Beacon to teach keyboarding skills.

This is a hard topic. Not only can I see both sides,It is also a topic that hits home.

Both of my kids would fall into the severely dysgraphic category. Of course,I would also.

I did extensive remediation personally,as well as my children. The remediation helped,but the impact wasn’t huge. My son just spent a school year going to OT twice a week for one hour,participated in IM,and tried handwriting without tears for the trillionith time. His writing is almost virtually illegible. He can still be seen reversing letters,omitting etc.

Assistive Technology made a huge impact on my life personally and professionally,not just the keyboard itself,but the internet as well. I feel so fortunate that my children have the technology that I didn’t,it will,I am sure make an even bigger impact on them.

I do not believe that assistive technology hinders children,how could it?
Yes,they write,writing more and more doesn’t a good penmanshipster make.
Neither of my kids use the keyboard as much as I wish they would. The biggest reason is it is still quicker to handwrite then use the keyboard. Even illegible,it’s quicker. I am very interested in this program mentioned above,I would like to learn more about the visualizing the word instead of the keys.
Haven’t try this type of program yet. I will keep looking into ways of helping their keyboarding skills,because ironicly enough when the teacher’s told me oh so many years ago,that it was only developmental,they were right. It is. The part they left out is how you still remediate,even if it is developmental. And the part about even if it is developmental,the answer is time. In time,I suppose my son will finally develop more legible handwriting,my oldest did,and I. My oldest also has better keyboarding skills too. He types exactly as I do. Using two fingers,and looking at the keys. It doesn’t slow us down,it is a natural strategy.

Then there is so many other reasons to develop and adapt using assistive technology. It can be a organization tool. It can be an accomodation,it can allow development of skills needed later on. My oldest likes to draw,he draws quite a bit by hand,but he also does some awsome stuff with MS assecories.
I honestly couldn’t draw something that looks like something with the mouse or the computer,the angle is totally off,but he does!

He had a background screen saver and it was a really pretty hibiscus,so much so, that I commented on how pretty it was. He then say’s “I drew that”. Whoa,son you did? Amazing. Really it was. He does animation with powerpoint,I like powerpoint too:-)

I guess what I am saying is,your never too young to enjoy and benefit from assistive technology. Realisticly speaking there will still be enough opportunity to have to write by hand,why force them to write more? I’m 37 years old,I LOVE to write,but I hate writing by hand. I do it,I have to,but I like using my puter much better.

Know what I’m saying?

Great Leaps is short and sweet, just a few minutes per day. I think what you are doing for your child is exemplary.

I know exactly what you’re saying Socks. My daughter, age 9, is using a keyboard at school with software, i.e., draftbuilder, and cowriter. She types about 15+ wpm. She started on an alphasmart in 2nd grade and took keyboarding classes. Considering what Little Lulu said, we also remediate and she takes writing tutoring as well, but has the option of doing the final draft on the computer. She also takes LMB and her spelling has improved, but I truly believe that all the remediation in the world is not going to make her a terrific speller. She can study and get an A on a test, but never remembers much past that.

If you haven’t seen it, check out Richard Wanderman’s first person essay “How Computers Help the Writing Process for People with Learning Disabilities”. He is dyslexic himself and can really explain what a difference computers can make.

Rowena, My daughter (10 in November) also takes LMB tutoring 2x/wkly, OT 1x/wkly, writing tutoring 2x/wkly and gets OT services as well during the school year. She also has soccer practice 2x/wkly for about 9 mos of the year. Last year instead of writing tutoring, she took keyboarding classes. This all began at the beginning of 2nd grade.

Her OT and classroom teacher both say they have never seen a child progress as quickly as she has. I firmly believe all the intervention has made a world of difference as well as her being a child who really WANTS to excel.

How is your daughter doing? Does she appear to be overwhelmed? If she is doing well, I would keep up the intervention. There will be an end to it and I think if she is seeing results then the results are part of the payoff. It sure beats getting into middle and high school without the necessary tools to succeed. I, personally, think you’re doing the right thing.

Rowena, just saw on Schwablearning.org #4, Tools, that they have a really good article about Assistive Technology.

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and support. Today is her tenth birthday, and although we’ve come far during the last two years, I know we’ve still got a long way to travel. I just want to be sure we’re doing the right things, and providing her with the best foundation we can to ensure she has every opportunity to live life to the fullest.

Socks,

Here is the address for further information on the Diana Hanbury King method of teaching typing. Ms. King is the founder and director of a school for dyslexic boys, and has worked with dyslexic kids for 25 plus years. Her understanding of these kids comes through in the teaching approaches she uses.

http://www.epsbooks.com/samplers/1704MP.pdf

If you get a chance to see/hear her at a conference, do it ;)

My guys learned keyboarding lots better her way — the alphabet and words instead of asdfjkl;. “Little finger a, reach for b, middle finger CDE” — I bet they can still recite the poem, too :)