Touch Typing

When I was a teacher, we did touch typing with my fourth graders.  I think it is a skill that can be useful for some of our special needs kids as well. Michael’s special education teacher suggested he would be a good candidate to participate since he knew his letters and was working on broader literacy skills.

Since most programs are computer-based, it’s an easy way to include special needs kids in the bigger class activity while allowing them to move through the touch-typing program at their own pace.

Michael didn’t ever become totally proficient at touch typing, but the program helped him to use both hands to type and increased his familiarity with the keyboard. Those skills facilitated future endeavors like participating in computer-based literacy programs, sending e-mails and texts and even playing computer games.

Consider if a touch typing program might be right for your child. If you’re not sure, ask your child’s team at school for input.  Remember to assure them that you’re not expecting total proficiency, but rather just a chance for your child to participate with appropriate support.  If not at school, this might be an easy skill to tackle at home, especially if the school can provide your child a log-in for software they have already licensed (in other words, you could use the software at home for free).