Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Dysgraphia or Fine Motor Delay?

Thanks, Grinity. I figure if it helps, it's money well spent. Even if the school system decides he qualifies for OT, it won't be until April or May that it starts and it won't happen over the summer. The OT said if it turns out to be dysgraphia, she'll modify what they're working on. The more I read, the less I think it's dysgraphia.

Can anyone recommend a computer program to help the kids pick up typing/keyboarding skills between ages 5-8?

Thanks,
Incog

This is a good place to start. Once finished, your dc will probably still have to go somewhere else or do something else to work on speed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

This is a good place to start. Once finished, your dc will probably still have to go somewhere else or do something else to work on speed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/

Here's an interesting article:
http://www.harrison.k12.co.us/technology/best_practices/keyboarding.html

It says:
From the evidence available about research on keyboarding, it appears that early elementary school students can learn to keyboard. Some researchers suggest that fifth grade is the ideal time. However, the fifth grade may be too late because there may be too many bad habits already engrained. Therefore, it appears that when students start to use microcomputers to type words and sentences, they should be taught keyboarding. Bartholome and Long (1986) found that first and second graders with one-half hour of instruction three days a week could learn to type the alphabetic keys with commonly used punctuation marks at the rate of 15-30 words a minute in one semester of instruction. Psychological research on teaching typewriting also indicates that the student needs to be typing somewhere around 20-25 words a minute to have the keyboarding response patterns somewhat automated. The danger also lies in the fact that many people believe that to provide keyboarding instruction at a singular grade level is enough. Typewriting is like any other skill. The more you work on the skill the better you become at the skill, and, if you don't use the skill, you may lose the skill. Thus, I recommend that there be some continual emphasis on keyboarding throughout the elementary school and junior high school years. My recommendation is indicated in the following keyboarding scope and sequence. Of course, variations can be accommodated. The main idea is to spend some time on keyboarding as a student progresses. As a student gets to the junior high/high school level, he/she should then be working on higher speeds, and, of course, people who continue to work on the keyboarding in the high school level are people who want to use their keyboarding skills for high level word processing and other inputs. Keyboarding emphases at various grade levels are stated in the Keyboarding Scope and Sequence chart on the next page. Another guide for keyboarding instruction is a statement produced by the Policies Commission for Business and Economic Education. (1984) The Policies Commission is a consortium of people represented by many national business teacher organizations. The Policies Commission states that students should be introduced to keyboarding at the elementary school level and continue their skills in middle/junior high school and other levels of education. The Policies Commission believes that the following objectives are appropriate for an elementary school keyboarding course of 25-45 hours of instruction.

I also suggest any activities,such as playing musical instruments and art, that strengthen fine motor. Use of fingers independently from eachother seems to be helpful.

Good luck,
Grinity

I just wanted to give an update. My ds has been seeing an OT for about 6 weeks. She's worked with him on using his finger to space between words and on trying to keep his writing on the line. I think I'm seeing some improvement, but we haven't had papers come home from school in several weeks so I really don't know. His teacher at school agreed to enlarge his spelling tests and give him lines where he has to write sentences. (The kids are expected to write sentences using their spelling words on the back of the spelling tests with no lines.) Well, first she agreed but it didn't happen, so I called it to her attention and I haven't seen any papers since.

The OT first said ds's wrists and bicepts were week. The next week she tested his wrist strength and said that's not the problem. She said he is having trouble stablizing the pencil, but she doesn't know why. She gave him a pencil grip where he can't wrap his thumb around his fingers, but I can't send it to school or he'll lose it before he gets used to it. I never thought I'd say this, but I wish he had more writing homework so he could practice. We just go the grip this week, and it's been a very slack week homework-wise. I just know I'm going to have to force him to write next week (spring break), and we're going to have some big battles. I wish the OT would give him homework rather than telling me to watch him do his regular homework. He just doesn't have enough to make a difference (this week, it's just been math, and he does it on the bus on the way home).

Anyway, the bunny is bringing him Battleship. I hope manipulating all those little pegs will help.

Incog,

We tried a few keyboarding programs last year when DS was 6. He found them boring, but did like type to learn Jr. Which you can search and download online.

Keet, when my DS had real trouble holding the pencil, we tried those rubber pencil grips, which he liked. Not sure if they are the same ones you're trying, but they're not expensive. Our OT also recommended the pentel mechanical pencil with the 0.9 lead. It's smooth and soft enough. Also, just lines wren't enough. He needed paper that also showed the midline when he was learning to write. Not sure if any of this helps you or not. Give the OT some time. That was the Best thing we did.

Wow, Debbie. I'm reading this thread backwards and just saw your comments. My DS, too, would often fall and immediately raise his hand and say "I'm okay!" We'd always laugh - didn't realize it was all related. He doesn't seem to fall any more, but I will think about the protein. Thanks for the suggestion.

Incog,
Did you ever find a typing program? I got a Disney typing program for my dd8 a couple of years ago. She would work on it for a while then get frustrated and quite. I began looking for another program when my friend suggest that I take the tests for her so she could advance. Once I started taking the tests for her, she moved through the program and can type fairly well now. I just mention it because it seems so obvious yet it never occurred to me until my friend made the suggestion.

Summer

Thanks Summer, that's a great idea. DD5 especially has a low frustration tolerance. I do need to purchase a program, haven't pulled the trigger because I haven't seen a program that jumped out at me as something the girls would do. Would you buy the Disney program if you had it to do again?


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