Keyboarding Versus Handwriting Speed and Learning Disabilities

Keyboarding Versus Handwriting Speed and Learning Disabilities

Computers & Education published research investigating keyboarding versus handwriting speed and learning disabilities.  Many individuals handwrite faster than they can keyboard.  In order to close this gap, the researchers offered a touch-typing program which was completed by 17 neurotypical higher education students and 25 students with specific learning disabilities (i.e reading and/or writing disabilities).  The immediate and long-term effect of the touch-typing program indicated the following:

• handwriting remained a faster writing mode than keyboarding.
• although at the delayed post-test (approximately 3 months following the completion of the program), keyboarding became faster than handwriting only for the group of students with specific learning disabilities.

The researchers concluded that efficient and automatic keyboarding for writing is important for the general population and especially students with specific learning disabilities.

Read 5 Evidence-Based Factors that Effect Handwriting Speed.

Read results from the handwriting versus keyboarding survey.

Download FREE Keyboarding Words Per Minute Goal Tracker.

Read more on workstation positioning.

Read research on Manuscript, Cursive or Keyboarding.

Reference:  Weigelt-Marom, H., & Weintraub, N. (2018). Keyboarding versus handwriting speed of higher education students with and without learning disabilities: Does touch-typing assist in narrowing the gap?. Computers & Education, 117, 132-140.

If you need to collect data on keyboarding skills check out Keyboarding Rubrics.

This is an electronic book of 28 rubrics to assess keyboarding skills.  A rubric is a scoring guide to judge performance on a specific task. Have you ever wanted to quantify general keyboarding skills, operating the mouse, word processing or keyboarding skills by grade level?   Keyboarding Rubrics can be used as an assessment tool to quantify an individual’s written productivity.  By using the rubric, each individual can be scored based on the same criteria.

Keyboarding Rubrics Table of Contents:

GENERAL INFORMATION ON RUBRICS
SUGGESTED USES AND HOW TO SCORE THE RUBRICS
WORK STATION AREA CHECKLIST
KEYBOARDING AND THE COMMON CORE GRADES 3-12
HANDWRITING AND KEYBOARDING FLUENCY REFERENCE CHART
PROPER POSITIONING FOR KEYBOARDING
BEGINNER SKILLS FOR KEYBOARDING
BASIC SKILLS FOR KEYBOARDING
OVERALL KEYBOARDING
OPERATING THE MOUSE
WORD PROCESSING
PRE-KINDERGARTEN: KEYBOARDING
KINDERGARTEN: KEYBOARDING
TYPING NAME
FIRST GRADE: KEYBOARDING
SECOND GRADE: KEYBOARDING
THIRD GRADE: FORM, PRODUCTION AND FLUENCY
THIRD GRADE: WORD PROCESSING
FOURTH GRADE: FORM, PRODUCTION AND FLUENCY
FOURTH GRADE: WRITING APPLICATION
FOURTH GRADE: WORD PROCESSING
FIFTH GRADE: FORM, PRODUCTION AND FLUENCY
FIFTH GRADE: WRITING APPLICATION
FIFTH GRADE: WORD PROCESSING
SIXTH GRADE: FORM, PRODUCTION AND FLUENCY

SIXTH GRADE: WRITING APPLICATION
SIXTH GRADE: WORD PROCESSING
SEVENTH GRADE: FORM, PRODUCTION AND FLUENCY
SEVENTH GRADE: WRITING APPLICATION
SEVENTH GRADE: WORD PROCESSING
EIGHTH GRADE: FORM, PRODUCTION AND FLUENCY
EIGHTH GRADE: WRITING APPLICATION
EIGHTH GRADE: WORD PROCESSING

The rubrics will be delivered electronically in PDF format and in Word format so that you can edit the document if necessary. This allows you to customize the rubric to your individual caseload if necessary. If you do not have Microsoft Word you can download Open Office (www.openoffice.org) for free which is compatible with all most Office suites.

Some suggested uses of Keyboarding Rubrics are:

• assessment at initial evaluation and annual reviews
• pre and post therapy session
• progress reports
• establish entrance or exit criteria for therapy
• creating measurable goals

FIND OUT MORE

The post Keyboarding Versus Handwriting Speed and Learning Disabilities appeared first on Your Therapy Source.

Keyboarding Words Per Minute Goal Tracker

Keyboarding Words Per Minute Goal Tracker

Most students in grades 3 and up are working on keyboarding with a focus on words per minute.  This keyboarding words per minute goal tracker is super easy to collect data on how a student is progressing.  Even better, have the students monitor their own progress recording how they are improving each day.

This FREE words per minute goal tracker is available in Word format and PDF (at the end of the post to download).  You can print it out and write in the words per minute during the week or enter the data directly into the Word document to create a graph.

If you want to enter the data directly into the Word document follow these steps:

Step 1 – Open the Word document

Step 2 – Click on the chart.

Step 3 – Click Design. (right side of top tabs)

Step 4 – Click on Edit Data (upper right hand corner of document)

Step 5 – Enter your words per minute in column B for the correct days of the week and your chart will be created.

If you like to record data with pen and paper that is fine too!  Just print the document in PDF format and bring it along.  Or print two to a page so you are all set to go for two weeks at a time.

To get your FREE copy of the Keyboarding Words Per Minute Goal Tracker enter your email at the bottom to sign up for our newsletter.  The downloads will open up in new tabs once you enter your email.

If you need to collect data on additional keyboarding skills check out Keyboarding Rubrics.

This is an electronic book of 28 rubrics to assess keyboarding skills.  A rubric is a scoring guide to judge performance on a specific task. Have you ever wanted to quantify general keyboarding skills, operating the mouse, word processing or keyboarding skills by grade level?   Keyboarding Rubrics can be used as an assessment tool to quantify an individual’s written productivity.  By using the rubric, each individual can be scored based on the same criteria.

Keyboarding Rubrics Table of Contents:

GENERAL INFORMATION ON RUBRICS
SUGGESTED USES AND HOW TO SCORE THE RUBRICS
WORK STATION AREA CHECKLIST
KEYBOARDING AND THE COMMON CORE GRADES 3-12
HANDWRITING AND KEYBOARDING FLUENCY REFERENCE CHART
PROPER POSITIONING FOR KEYBOARDING
BEGINNER SKILLS FOR KEYBOARDING
BASIC SKILLS FOR KEYBOARDING
OVERALL KEYBOARDING
OPERATING THE MOUSE
WORD PROCESSING
PRE-KINDERGARTEN: KEYBOARDING
KINDERGARTEN: KEYBOARDING
TYPING NAME
FIRST GRADE: KEYBOARDING
SECOND GRADE: KEYBOARDING
THIRD GRADE: FORM, PRODUCTION AND FLUENCY
THIRD GRADE: WORD PROCESSING
FOURTH GRADE: FORM, PRODUCTION AND FLUENCY
FOURTH GRADE: WRITING APPLICATION
FOURTH GRADE: WORD PROCESSING
FIFTH GRADE: FORM, PRODUCTION AND FLUENCY
FIFTH GRADE: WRITING APPLICATION
FIFTH GRADE: WORD PROCESSING
SIXTH GRADE: FORM, PRODUCTION AND FLUENCY

SIXTH GRADE: WRITING APPLICATION
SIXTH GRADE: WORD PROCESSING
SEVENTH GRADE: FORM, PRODUCTION AND FLUENCY
SEVENTH GRADE: WRITING APPLICATION
SEVENTH GRADE: WORD PROCESSING
EIGHTH GRADE: FORM, PRODUCTION AND FLUENCY
EIGHTH GRADE: WRITING APPLICATION
EIGHTH GRADE: WORD PROCESSING

The rubrics will be delivered electronically in PDF format and in Word format so that you can edit the document if necessary. This allows you to customize the rubric to your individual caseload if necessary. If you do not have Microsoft Word you can download Open Office (www.openoffice.org) for free which is compatible with all most Office suites.

Some suggested uses of Keyboarding Rubrics are:

• assessment at initial evaluation and annual reviews
• pre and post therapy session
• progress reports
• establish entrance or exit criteria for therapy
• creating measurable goals

FIND OUT MORE

 

The post Keyboarding Words Per Minute Goal Tracker appeared first on Your Therapy Source.

Therapist’s Results from Handwriting and Keyboarding Survey

The Handwriting and Keyboarding survey has ended with over 200 responses.  The purpose of this survey was to get the opinions of pediatric therapists, parents and teachers on handwriting versus keyboarding. Here are the overall responses with comments at the bottom.

Question 1:  Are you an OT, COTA, PT, PTA, Speech Therapist, Teacher, Parent or Other?

Question 2:  Handwriting instruction is necessary before keyboarding instruction.  Respond: Strongly agree (1) through Strongly disagree (5)

Question 3:  Handwriting notes assists with memory formation and retrieval more than typing notes.  Respond: Strongly agree (1) through Strongly disagree (5)

Question 4:  Based on your experience, in what grade does the emphasis switch from handwriting to keyboarding for written production?

Question 5:  Based on your experience, in what grade should technology be primarily utilized for students with significant handwriting deficits?

Comments that were submitted:

I put 4th grade for the last question but it really depends on the kid, teachers, parents, etc. as to when I start keyboarding with my students.

Currently in our society,keyboarding/screen time and alternatives to handwriting and manipulation are too accessible too early in childhood development. This results in poor habits with both handwriting and keyboarding. With all techniques and applications, we NEED to professionally evaluate the cost/outcome of all screen tools on the long term skills and habits rather than push for the quick fixes.
Use of technology for students with handwriting difficulties is on a student by student basis depending on what skills they have/do not have. It can start as early as needed if the child requires that as their method of expression.

Keyboarding/typing should be introduced in elementary school for all students. At that time, they are finished with the handwriting and cursive curriculum. This will give kids the opportunity to use the keyboard more efficiently instead of creating less efficient motor memory habits by the time they hit middle school keyboarding. Theses answers are also based on the organization and curriculum used in the particular district I work in.

If, by 3rd grade, students are still not functional with handwriting, I begin working on computer skills with them. If computer use proves to be a stronger skill for them, then we being integrating it into their day around 4th grade. Then they can grow their independence in 5th grade and be ready for middle school.

Depends on skills and diagnosis. If severe motor impairment, technology can begin as early as preschool. However students don’t like to look different from their peers, so it can be difficult to incorporate technology in the classroom setting and have the student on-board with using it.

Each child is different in that their developmental level may not be that of their age and therefore they are not ready for keyboarding. Studies have shown the benefits of handwriting on reading as well as memory and although this is the “age of technology” it is still important for a student to be able to write.

This should be decided on a case by case basis.

I am not even sure why this is a survey for therapist. Too much emphasis is put on OT’s being involved in handwriting and OT is so much more than a handwriting teacher. I rarely pick up a child on caseload for illegible handwriting.

My decisions on the above questions aren’t so much dependent upon the student’s grade but more depend on the individual student’s fine motor skills, visual motor abilities, and their cognition; what are the classroom expectations for the student; and what written communication needs can’t they achieve without assistive technology.

Handwriting is much more than pencil to paper. Handwriting needs to be taught K-Gr 2, with review and revision to help students gain the proper foundation. K-G2 is learning to write, after that is writing to learn. If students are not given the proper foundation, it is difficult to tell if they are going to be more successful on keyboarding.

It depends on the child’s problem. I have a child with severe arthrogryposis in first grade who I am advocating for the use of a keyboard.

Not sure what the question on when the emphasis switches from handwriting to keyboarding. In my former district the kids got to chose once they got into middle school. I am not sure when the gen ed kids “have ” to type.

Once a student has learned how to print, then technology should be started whenever that student is unable to show what they know because of significant handwriting deficits. Handwriting can continue but when that student is no longer able to show what they know through their writing.

First questions based on a ‘normal’ child. Last question based on dyslexia/dyspraxia. Some, not many, children would need assistive technology from the start.

I think that children benefit from handwriting and keyboarding instruction at the same time. If at all possible, they should be fluent in both!

In my district, despite availability of laptops, desktops, and iPads in a less than 1 device per 1 student ratio (perhaps 1 device per 3 or 4 students overall), the emphasis does NOT switch from handwriting to keyboarding at any grade, including high school. Even students who qualify for special education, have received OT, and for whom I have recommended and at a minimum introduced keyboarding for are continually expected to write. Generally, parents and teachers alike persist with wanting OT to ‘fix’ or at least address handwriting. Despite collaboration and education, this is a huge roadblock I hit that appears to be only a block in the mindset of others.

HANDWRITING RESOURCES

KEYBOARDING RESOURCES

The post Therapist’s Results from Handwriting and Keyboarding Survey appeared first on Your Therapy Source.

Work Station, Positioning and Keyboarding Skills

Young children and students continue to spend more and more time keyboarding for written expression.  Whether it be at home before children are school aged or sitting long hours typing away throughout a child’s educational career or even as adults, the work station must be set up efficiently to allow for proper positioning while keyboarding.

Prior to evaluating keyboarding positioning skills check to ensure the work station is set up properly.  You want to check the following:

1. The top of the monitor screen is at or below eye level.
2. The monitor and the keyboard are directly in front of the head and body.
3. The viewing distance from the individual to the computer monitor is somewhere between 18 and 30 inches (about arm’s length).
4. There is no glare (i.e. from windows or lights) reflecting on the monitor screen.
5. The seat provides support for the lower back.
6. The seat width and depth are suitable.
7. The work surface is at the proper height (i.e. forearms are horizontal or angled slightly downward).
8. Legs and feet have enough space under the work surface.
9. Any accessories (i.e. computer mouse) are within reach.

Once the work station has been assessed, observe to make sure that the student is positioned properly while typing.  Here are some guidelines:

• Head position – Head in neutral position (or slightly forward) and head is in line with the torso
• Back supported by chair – Sitting up straight with back supported, body in front of keyboard
• Elbow position – Elbows are close to body; angle is open about 90-120 degrees
• Wrist position – Wrist is neutral and level with forearms
• Finger position – Fingers on home row and curved
• Hip position – Hips at about 90 degrees
• Knee position – Knees at about 90 degrees
• Legs – Legs are not crossed
• Feet – Feet are flat on the floor

You can download a rubric for positioning while keyboarding here.  This rubric is from the Keyboarding Rubrics packet and can be used to:
• assess proper positioning while keyboarding.
• assess changes in performance over time in one individual.
• inform the individual of what is expected for the task.
• increase consistency of scoring.
• promote learning/ education on proper positioning while keyboarding.

Reference: United States Department of Labor OSHA. Computer Workstations eTool. Retrieved on 11/6/2016 at http://ift.tt/1cjxMdi

This post is part of the Functional Skills for Kids: 12 Month series by Occupational and Physical Therapists. You can read all of the functions on childhood HERE. Read all of my monthly posts in this series HERE.

Looking for more information about the development of the functional skills of keyboarding? Stop by to see what the other occupational therapists and physical therapists in the Functional Skills for Kids series have written.

When is My Child Ready to Learn to Keyboard? | Miss Jaime, O.T.

Fine Motor Skills and Typing  | Therapy Fun Zone

How to Implement a Keyboarding Club | Sugar Aunts

10 Keyboarding Modifications to Help Kids Type Better | Mama OT

Activities to Help Children Learn to Type | Growing Hands-On Kids

Assistive Technology for Kids Who Struggle With Handwriting  |  The Inspired Treehouse

Work Station, Positioning and Keyboarding Skills| Your Therapy Source

Visual Perceptual Considerations When Typing  | Your Kids OT

Keyboarding Rubrics digital download includes 28 rubrics to assess keyboarding skills in PDF and Word format. Also includes 3 references pages on work station area, keyboarding and the common core and fluency chart of handwriting versus keyboarding K-8.  Find out more information.

The post Work Station, Positioning and Keyboarding Skills appeared first on Your Therapy Source.

Proper Positioning for Keyboarding Rubric

Here is a free rubric on the proper positioning for keyboarding from the Keyboard Rubrics digital download.  School based occupational and physical therapists are frequently involved in evaluating positioning needs in the schools including computer stations.  With more and more children spending countless hours in front of a computer screen, proper positioning is essential to prevent long term complications with posture or overuse injuries.

A rubric is a scoring guide to judge performance on a specific task. A skill is broken down into different components and a numerical value is given to each component. The performance is then scored by totaling the sum of the numerical values. Rubrics are used as assessment tools to evaluate an individual’s ability to complete a task which in this case is maintaining proper positioning at the computer.

This rubric evaluates head position, back support, elbow position, wrist position, finger position, hip position, knee position, legs and feet.

Download Proper Positioning for Keyboarding Rubric as a PDF document

Download Proper Positioning for Keyboarding Rubric as a Word document

Keyboarding Rubrics digital download includes 28 rubrics to assess keyboarding skills in PDF and Word format. Also includes 3 references pages on work station area, keyboarding and the common core and fluency chart of handwriting versus keyboarding K-8.  Find out more information.

The post Proper Positioning for Keyboarding Rubric appeared first on Your Therapy Source.

Is Typing Like Riding a Bicycle?

Attention, Perception & Psychophysics has published research on skilled typists and the QWERTY keyboard.  The 100 participants (young adults and adults) in the study were asked to complete a short typing test.  Following the typing test, the participants were given a blank QWERTY keyboard on a piece of paper where they had 80 seconds to write the correct letters on the blank keyboard.  The results showed the following: 

• they averaged typing 72 words per minute, moving their fingers to the correct keys six times per second with 94 percent accuracy.
• they could accurately place an average of  only 15 letters on a blank keyboard.

The researchers had expected that the participants would be able to type without conscious thought (like riding a bicycle and driving a car).  Although the researchers were surprised that typists never appear to memorize the key positions, not even when they are first learning to type.  

A second study was completed using the Dvorak keyboard.  The 24 skilled QWERTY typists had to learn how to type on the Dvorak keyboard.  After a reasonable accuracy rate was established, the typists were asked to fill out a blank Dvorak keyboard.  On average, the typists were able to identify 17 letters on the blank keyboard.

The researchers concluded that the "lack of explicit knowledge of the keyboard may be due to the fact that computers and keyboards have become so ubiquitous that students learn how to use them in an informal, trial-and-error fashion when they are very young".

Interesting research to take into account when teaching keyboarding.  Have you ever tested to see what letters a student could actually identify on a blank keyboard?  This is a skill that we attempt to break down when teaching and we include memorizing where the keys are located.  When neurotypical individuals are learning to type is it purely through practice and use?  In your opinion, does learning to type require a conscious effort at first and become automatic over time?  

Reference:  Salisbury, D.  Study gives new meaning to 'let your fingers do the walking'.  Medical Express.  Retrieved from the web on 12/9/13 at http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-12-fingers.html#nwlt.

Handwriting and Keyboarding Standards

Zaner-Bloser has proposed Written Language Production Standards for Handwriting and Keyboarding.   These standards offer developmentally appropriate, research–based indicators to integrate handwriting and keyboarding into the curriculum.  From the Zaner-Bloser website it states that the standards are:

"research-based and includes basic letter formation and keyboarding indicators included in the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, national and local technology standards and policy, state handwriting and keyboarding standards, studies in motor skills development from occupational therapists and data on language (written and oral) and brain activation from academic researchers".

You can get more information on the standards on the Zaner-Bloser website.

View the final Written Language Production Standards for Handwriting and Keyboarding.  


After perusing the document quickly, it has a great summary of the research on why handwriting is a functional skill that is necessary for literacy, enhances neurological development and facilities writing fluency.  It also discusses why children need to learn both handwriting and keyboarding to be successful in this age of technology.

 For each grade level kindergarten through grade 8, it provides standards for form and legibility, spacing and size, direction and alignment, rate and fluency, writing application and word processing (only grades 4-8).

Experienced and new pediatric occupational and physical therapists will benefit from reading this comprehensive document.

Handwriting versus Keyboarding

When assessing students for written productivity, handwriting speeds are frequently compared to keyboarding speeds. There are several helpful documents on the internet to help evaluate students:

1. Developing a Written Productivity Profile: Comparing handwriting to keyboarding

2. Handwriting Speeds - from Montgomery Schools Maryland

3. Handwriting / Keyboarding Rates - from the National Assistive Technology Research Institute

Typing or Writing?

CanChild has a research based, informative hand out for school staff and parents on whether children with coordination problems should learn how to use a word processor or continue to focus on handwriting. It answers questions such as:

1. Why should children with DCD use a computer or word processor?
2. Does keyboarding mean we are giving up on handwriting?
3. Printing versus cursive writing?
4. Can children with fine motor problems learn how to type?
5. When is the best age to introduce key boarding?
6. What is the best way to teach keyboarding?
7. When is voice to text a good option?

You can view the handout below or download it from CanChild.



Reference: N. Pollock & C. Missiuna, 2005 To Write or Type - That is the Question. Retrieved from the web on 3/19/2011 at http://dcd.canchild.ca/en/EducationalMaterials/resources/DCD_Typing.pdf