Claire, Parent of a child with dyslexia and dyspraxia
We started using Touch-type Read and Spell when my son was in Year 6 at Primary School. He is dyslexic and dyspraxic and his handwriting was really atrocious.
Having to write by hand made it hard for him to get his thoughts down on paper, so we considered typing as an option.
We tried a few other programs, some free ones with games, but he just got distracted by the games and he didn’t really progress in his typing. Then someone suggested he have actual typing lessons. They recommended a local tutor to me who used Touch-type Read and Spell in her sessions.
He would go to intensive lessons over half-term and then the tutor would set targets that he could work towards at home. It didn’t take much coercion to get him to use TTRS and he could see his progress right away.
Now he’s much more confident when he’s typing than when he’s handwriting. In fact, my son used to hate English at Primary School, but he actually enjoys it these days.
It’s a combination of factors but definitely being able to type has freed him up so he can express himself more fluently in writing.
I also used to have to help him a lot, but with the typing he does his school work more independently, and I noticed that his spelling has improved.
Now my daughter, who does not struggle with a learning or motor skills difficulty, has also started using TTRS. She wants to learn to type and really enjoys it!
