March 16, 2025 • 18 mins
Typing isn’t just a practical skill—it can be life changing for dyslexic students! In this episode, I break down why learning to type can remove barriers, boost confidence, and even reinforce reading and spelling skills.
I’ll share my personal experience diving into touch typing (spoiler: it’s not as easy as it looks!) and the fascinating science behind why typing activates key areas of the brain that support literacy. Plus, I’ll explore some of the best typing programs out there—what works, what doesn’t, and how to help your child build this essential skill the right way.
If you’ve ever wondered whether typing is worth the effort for your dyslexic learner, this episode is for you! Let’s rethink how we teach writing and give our students a tool they can use for life.
🔹 The connection between typing, reading, and spelling
🔹 Why traditional keyboarding classes don’t work for dyslexic students
🔹 How to introduce typing the right way (accuracy before speed!)
🔹 The best programs for dyslexic learners—Typing.com, TypingClub, and TTRS
Tune in and let’s unlock a new way to support our students! 🎧✨
Thank you for listening to Dyslexia Decoded! Remember, every journey begins with a single step, and progress always beats perfection.
Subscribe so you never miss an episode, and if you found this story inspiring, please share it with someone who might need to hear it.
Until next time, stay strong, stay curious, and stay fearless. 💚
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Hey there and welcome back toDyslexia Decoded with teacher
(00:03):
Maggie.
Today I wanna dive into a topicthat I feel like is not covered
enough when it comes to all theresearch and the resources that
are out there for dyslexicparents to is about typing
skills.
Can be to a dyslexic student,not just knowing how to type,
(00:24):
but all of the things that willbenefit their brain when it
comes to literacy andorganization.
I went on a deep dive into thistopic and I'm really excited to
share it with you.
So it's the coolest part ofhaving a podcast.
It's like finding things thatI'm super excited to share with
the whole world, You know, maybeI don't reach the whole world,
but those of you who arelistening, I appreciate you so
(00:46):
much I'm really excited to sharetoday's episode.
I have to admit myself, I am nota very good keyboardist.
I've always been the peck withtwo fingers kind of person, and
it's worked out well enough.
But recently I've been wantingto learn how to code.
there's so many educationalgames out There that are really
cool and I use'em in mytutoring, but there's always
(01:08):
things I wanna change I'm like,oh, I could do this better.
And then I think, no, I can't doit better because I don't know
how to code.
Cliff Wiseman is saying anyonethat owns their own business
should know how to code.
'cause if you're gonna hirepeople to code, then you need to
be able to check the work andstuff.
he inspires me anyway.
So anything.
Cliff Wiseman says to do, Iwould probably do I wanna learn
(01:30):
to code.
And, something that will makecoding a lot easier is having
efficient keyboarding skills.
So that's what led me in thisdirection.
And then, it just has spiraledever since.
I'm really excited to shareeverything I've learned.
I started practicing ontyping.com and it was really
interesting to me as I wastyping, it felt so similar to
(01:55):
the same parts of my brain.
The same way my brain works whenI'm writing and when I'm
spelling.
I could sense my brain engagingin a way that was just so
clearly.
The dyslexic parts of my brainwere, were strongly engaged the
entire time.
so this observation led me towanna explore more into the
(02:16):
science.
behind typing and dyslexia anddiscover some compelling
insights.
It's really cool to see howthese things are related, so why
typing helps a dyslexic brain.
Learning to type isn't just auseful skill.
for anyone, but for a dyslexicstudent, it can be a
(02:39):
transformative tool.
It can, reduce the strain onhandwriting.
as a reading tutor that when astudent is writing their
letters, writing'em correctly isjust going to encourage their
reading as well.
So for example, you write fromtop to bottom, left to right, we
read top to bottom, left toright.
(03:00):
Students have the habit ofwriting from the bottom up.
They're working backwards whenthey're trying to read down and
write up.
It's like swimming upstream andit is really going to hinder
their.
Developing fluency, I see itover and over again and, there's
research behind it and I believeit.
So I really encourage studentsto write top, to bottom, left to
(03:21):
right.
But when a student is trying tothink of all these things at
once, how to write the letters,how to correctly format letters,
having correct spacing, usingcorrect spelling.
All of these things can reallyhinder a student's.
Writing fluency the ability toexpress themselves around
creativity.
Learning to type can reduce thestrain of just general
(03:44):
handwriting.
It will reinforce spelling andreading.
Fluency.
Typing involves muscle memoryrepeatedly.
Typing words helps fingersinternalize spelling patterns
Very much like how practicingsight words enhances
recognition.
research indicates that typingcan strengthen phonic skills and
(04:06):
helping improve spelling, handreading fluency.
the third thing is that thiskind of links to the first, that
when you're typing, it's gonnajust reduce that cognitive.
Load reading and spelling makesour brains tired.
There's so many things that whenwe're working against our
dyslexia, it's not how our brainwants to work.
(04:28):
It is just so much morephysically taxing than it is for
someone without dyslexia, Iguess I should say.
So being able to type is gonnalessen that mental load.
We're not gonna have to put allthat energy into letter
formation or even spelling'causehey, hallelujah.
For spell correct.
Right.
Spell check sentenceconstruction.
(04:49):
if we write a sentence, itdoesn't sound right.
It's easy to just go back andfix it.
So there's just so much thatwe're juggling when we're
writing and being able to typejust simplifies these tasks.
Once typing becomes secondnature, students can really
concentrate more on their ideasrather than the mechanics of
writing.
And the last thing I wannamention here is that when you're
(05:11):
typing, you're using your left,handing your right hand, and in
turn you're using both sides ofthe brain.
Anytime you're doing an activitywhere you're using both sides,
activating both hemispheres inthe brain.
This can enhance your neuralconnections, improving
coordination and processingspeed.
It's like a mental workout everytime you type.
(05:35):
as I was thinking about typing,I couldn't help but make these
connections a journey oflearning to type will closely
parallel the process of learningto read, especially when you're
learning to read throughstructured phonics approaches.
As you introduce a few lettersand a vowel, they can blend
those and we have more letters,and you add other phonics
(05:57):
patterns and gradually increaseknowledge students build
proficiency step by step.
This structured progression isparticularly beneficial for
dyslexic learnings.
While when you're learning thetype, it's the same way you're
gonna start with just.
Two keys, you're a nice little Fin your J and you're gonna
gradually add another letter orfinger stroke the same way we
(06:21):
embrace mistakes when learninghow to read.
You will embrace mistakes whenyou're learning how to type.
it is a whole mindset.
That we need to develop in ourstudents that it's okay to make
mistakes.
do something wrong learn from itand try again.
the most important thing is thatwe're moving forward and
continuously practicing.
(06:42):
when you're typing, even me, asI'm doing my typing programs, I
get plenty of red letters.
My goal isn't to have itperfect.
My goal is to get a littlebetter than I was the last time
I practiced.
And gradual development offluency.
When we say fluency, we meansmoothness and speed words per
minute are tracked in bothtyping and reading, but our
(07:04):
focus doesn't have to be onbeing the fastest reader or the
fastest typer right away.
Typing fluency, just likereading fluency develops over
time.
with practice typing, speed willincrease naturally as accuracy
and confidence grows.
So emphasizing accuracy beforespeed will ensure a very solid
(07:25):
foundation, and both reading andtyping.
So look at some of the sciencebehind typing in the brain.
Several studies highlight thecognitive benefits of typing for
dyslexic individuals, typingreinforces phonics and spelling,
touch typing programs,especially those incorporating
(07:47):
phonics can enhance spelling byassociating finger movements
with specific letters andsounds.
Typing reinforces the neuralpathways involved in reading and
spelling.
We're turning reading andspelling more into a kinesthetic
activity where we're not justseeing the words and hearing the
words.
We're touching them.
Typing will also activate thelanguage processing centers in
(08:11):
the brain while handwritingengages more of these centers, a
broader brain network.
typing will still stimulateareas related to language
processing.
this engagement supports thedevelopment of literacy skills
typing improves organization andexecutive functioning, A lot of
(08:31):
people don't realize thatorganization is something that
dyslexic struggle with, and itcould be.
Organizing our writing, keepingour numbers in order when we're
doing math.
It could also be keeping ourroom tidy or knowing where that
homework assignment is.
All of these things can comeinto play with dyslexia and the
(08:52):
way our brain works when we'retyping.
it will help to improve theseorganizational parts of our
brain.
So I wanted to share with yousome of the typing programs that
I have looked into and myspecific thoughts on them.
first, I already mentioned rightnow I'm using typing.com.
I just went to typing.com'causeit's what I've always used.
(09:15):
And I'm familiar with it andit's free.
The free version is completelyadequate.
there are ads, but they're kindof to the side.
They're nodding your face, theydon't, I don't even notice them.
So I am been using typing.commyself, but I wanted to look
into, I love when I'm listeningto a podcast.
And they give me the deets.
I don't have to go research formyself.
(09:35):
So I wanted to share with you alittle bit more.
So they do have an ad free,their premium version, and it's
3 99 a month.
It takes the ads away, but theyalso have other things involved.
One of those is a codingprogram, which is me.
Super intrigued.
I wanna check that out.
I'm really tempted to sign upfor premium typing just for
(09:57):
that.
Computer safety things being agood digital citizenship, I
believe they call it.
and other typing programs thatare involved in having a premium
membership.
I also tried out typing club.
Actually being in their lessonsI thought was pretty cool.
I really enjoyed the lessons andjust kind of the way.
(10:20):
The keystrokes and stuff, andthe screen was laid out.
They have more games kind ofbuilt in, and I found those
really engaging.
But if you are going onto theirfree version, their ads are
everywhere.
I felt they were reallyobnoxious.
Sometimes there was ads comingfrom the top and from the
bottom, and they were coveringup where I was trying to click,
and I was really frustrated withit.
(10:40):
So unless you are wanting to,invest and use their ad-free
experience.
I kind of wouldn't recommend it,but to get an ad free, so I
mentioned the typing.com was 399 a month, And it's per month,
month to month.
You don't need to commit to theyear and pay the whole year up
front.
typing club, if you want to gomonth to month, it's eight 50 a
(11:03):
month.
And if you want to pay.
For the whole year, then it'sonly$35 for the year.
I think that they said it waslike 2 92 a month, so that's
pretty reasonable.
I do prefer to do things monthto month because if I decide to
stop doing it, I don't wanna payfor whole year and then you know
that next year auto renews andyou forgot.
(11:23):
So those are just my honestthoughts on typing.com and
typing.
Typing.
Club.
Another one you might wanna lookinto.
I was trying to research it, butthey made me put in my email and
they said they were gonna sendme a demo and.
They haven't yet.
So I'm really interested tolearn more about touch type,
read and spell.
this is a typing program madefor dyslexic students.
(11:46):
some of the feedback on it isthat it could be kind of boring
and dry, which may affectmotivations.
So that kind of makes me leanaway, but.
It is touch typing and phonicslike Orton-Gillingham aligned, I
wanna research this more.
I do plan to have a futureepisode where I go over lots of
different technologies that areavailable to support dyslexia.
(12:09):
I know I always mention in myepisodes what I wanna do in the
future, and sometimes I get tothe things, sometimes I don't.
If I don't send me a message,hit me up and let me know, like,
Hey, I'm really waiting for thisand I will totally get on top of
it.
So let's talk about the rightapproach to teaching.
Typing there is a right way anda wrong way.
(12:30):
it makes me think back to myvery own high school keyboarding
class my mom who's not dyslexicwas a really fast keyboarder.
She was really proud of thisskill, her whole life.
They got her jobs and all ofthat.
'cause that was a very importantskill for a long, long time.
I took keyboarding in highschool and in the beginning it
was fun.
I was keeping up, we werelearning our keys, strokes.
(12:51):
But once we've learned all thekeys, the whole focus became on
increasing words per minute.
And there was these graphs andwe were compared to everyone in
the class.
even though I was trying.
I was always down at the bottomwith the kids who weren't
trying.
So eventually I just stoppedtrying.
my keyboarding skills neverprogressed very far because
anything like this takespractice and practice was
(13:13):
discouraging when I kept seeingmyself at the bottom of the
list.
I feel like this is anotherwarning for teaching, reading.
the students, come to schoolexcited, wanting to learn,
learning their letters andsounds, they're right there with
the rest of their.
Class until they're not, untilthe students start to move ahead
beyond them.
I should probably record this'cause I talk with my hands a
(13:34):
lot until the other studentsmove ahead and they feel left
behind and they're trying andthey're trying, but they're just
not even close.
And it could get reallydiscouraging.
And many times these students,eventually give up especially if
they don't know they havedyslexia, if their schools
dunno, they have dyslexia.
If their teacher thinks thatthey're not trying or they're
(13:56):
being lazy, or if you would justfocus or put in effort, then you
could read the word Things likethis Will produce a student who
just shuts down and cannot putany mental energy into learning
to read.
And that's what happened to mewith learning to type.
So when teaching, reading,prioritize accuracy.
Gradual progress.
(14:17):
Is the way to go.
I love these structuredprograms.
I do feel like typing.com movesa little slower in their
progression and introduction ofkeys than typing Club did.
So I would maybe prefer that.
and then just keep a positivereinforcement and celebrating
every little win.
So I hope by now I've talked youinto starting yourself or your
(14:41):
dyslexic student to learningtyping.
Now, please know when theystart, it is going to be more
challenging for them than itwould be for a student without
dyslexia.
I think it's fair to be honestwith them.
Like, Hey, we're gonna do this.
It's not gonna be easy.
You're gonna make a lot ofmistakes, but we can do anything
for like 10 minutes, right?
If you could do 10 minutes aday, you will make.
(15:04):
Mind boggling progress over thenext few weeks.
So I recommend starting nice andyoung.
even before you know they havedyslexia, I started my
5-year-old on typing.com.
She's loving it.
Is she perfect to know?
But she is getting familiar withthe keyboard and is really
enjoying.
The process of learning.
And that's what we should alwaysencourage students to enjoy the
(15:27):
learning process, not just thegoal of mastering something.
choose a structured typingprogram like typing.com or
typing club, and there'sprobably so many, many, many
more out there.
Those are just the ones I know.
Incorporate some more enjoyableelements.
There are more gamified typingprograms and websites you can
look into.
(15:47):
emphasize accuracy over speed.
Our goal isn't to be the fastesttyper.
It's to get the right lettersand the speed will come.
Help your student be patientwith themselves and just enjoy
the process.
So my final thoughts, I firmlybelieve that learning the type
is one of the most empoweringtools we can offer dyslexic
(16:09):
students.
It not only enhances writingcapabilities, but also boosts
confidence and self-expressionby reducing the barriers
associated with handwriting andspelling.
Typing enables students toarticulate their thoughts more
freely.
Given the research in mypersonal observations, it's
(16:31):
evident that typing reinforcesmany of the same skills involved
in reading and writing.
Therefore, I personally advocatefor incorporating, typing
instruction into the learningprocess for all dyslexic
students.
If you haven't yet consideredtyping as a tool for your child,
I encourage you to explore thisoption.
(16:53):
It may have a more profoundimpact than you anticipate.
Thank you for joining me on thisepisode of Dyslexia Decoded with
Teacher.
Maggie.
If you found this discussioninsightful, please share it with
other parents or educators whomight benefit.
I am eager to hear about yourexperiences.
(17:13):
If your child is learning let meknow how it's going.
If you look down in thedescription of the episode,
there should be a link tomessage me directly.
Now, some of you know I have.
Been on this podcast sinceJanuary.
I went to start in September,procrastination, fear, all of
the things.
(17:34):
But I hesitated to start and Istarted in January.
So it's been three-ish monthsnow, and and I've been pretty
consistent getting an episodeout weekly this week.
It took me a little longer tofind something I was really
excited about, and I'm excitedto share something that means
(17:55):
something to me and isn't justwhat I think you wanna hear, I
did get my first email fromLaura, so I wanted to say hi to
Laura and her son.
congratulations on your dyslexiadiagnosis, and if you or any of
the listeners need anything,please reach out to me.
I do this because I want toconnect with you.
(18:15):
So until next time, friends,keep going slow and trust the
process.
Bye-bye.
Hey there and welcome back toDyslexia Decoded with teacher
(00:03):
Maggie.
Today I wanna dive into a topicthat I feel like is not covered
enough when it comes to all theresearch and the resources that
are out there for dyslexicparents to is about typing
skills.
Can be to a dyslexic student,not just knowing how to type,
(00:24):
but all of the things that willbenefit their brain when it
comes to literacy andorganization.
I went on a deep dive into thistopic and I'm really excited to
share it with you.
So it's the coolest part ofhaving a podcast.
It's like finding things thatI'm super excited to share with
the whole world, You know, maybeI don't reach the whole world,
but those of you who arelistening, I appreciate you so
(00:46):
much I'm really excited to sharetoday's episode.
I have to admit myself, I am nota very good keyboardist.
I've always been the peck withtwo fingers kind of person, and
it's worked out well enough.
But recently I've been wantingto learn how to code.
there's so many educationalgames out There that are really
cool and I use'em in mytutoring, but there's always
(01:08):
things I wanna change I'm like,oh, I could do this better.
And then I think, no, I can't doit better because I don't know
how to code.
Cliff Wiseman is saying anyonethat owns their own business
should know how to code.
'cause if you're gonna hirepeople to code, then you need to
be able to check the work andstuff.
he inspires me anyway.
So anything.
Cliff Wiseman says to do, Iwould probably do I wanna learn
(01:30):
to code.
And, something that will makecoding a lot easier is having
efficient keyboarding skills.
So that's what led me in thisdirection.
And then, it just has spiraledever since.
I'm really excited to shareeverything I've learned.
I started practicing ontyping.com and it was really
interesting to me as I wastyping, it felt so similar to
(01:55):
the same parts of my brain.
The same way my brain works whenI'm writing and when I'm
spelling.
I could sense my brain engagingin a way that was just so
clearly.
The dyslexic parts of my brainwere, were strongly engaged the
entire time.
so this observation led me towanna explore more into the
(02:16):
science.
behind typing and dyslexia anddiscover some compelling
insights.
It's really cool to see howthese things are related, so why
typing helps a dyslexic brain.
Learning to type isn't just auseful skill.
for anyone, but for a dyslexicstudent, it can be a
(02:39):
transformative tool.
It can, reduce the strain onhandwriting.
as a reading tutor that when astudent is writing their
letters, writing'em correctly isjust going to encourage their
reading as well.
So for example, you write fromtop to bottom, left to right, we
read top to bottom, left toright.
(03:00):
Students have the habit ofwriting from the bottom up.
They're working backwards whenthey're trying to read down and
write up.
It's like swimming upstream andit is really going to hinder
their.
Developing fluency, I see itover and over again and, there's
research behind it and I believeit.
So I really encourage studentsto write top, to bottom, left to
(03:21):
right.
But when a student is trying tothink of all these things at
once, how to write the letters,how to correctly format letters,
having correct spacing, usingcorrect spelling.
All of these things can reallyhinder a student's.
Writing fluency the ability toexpress themselves around
creativity.
Learning to type can reduce thestrain of just general
(03:44):
handwriting.
It will reinforce spelling andreading.
Fluency.
Typing involves muscle memoryrepeatedly.
Typing words helps fingersinternalize spelling patterns
Very much like how practicingsight words enhances
recognition.
research indicates that typingcan strengthen phonic skills and
(04:06):
helping improve spelling, handreading fluency.
the third thing is that thiskind of links to the first, that
when you're typing, it's gonnajust reduce that cognitive.
Load reading and spelling makesour brains tired.
There's so many things that whenwe're working against our
dyslexia, it's not how our brainwants to work.
(04:28):
It is just so much morephysically taxing than it is for
someone without dyslexia, Iguess I should say.
So being able to type is gonnalessen that mental load.
We're not gonna have to put allthat energy into letter
formation or even spelling'causehey, hallelujah.
For spell correct.
Right.
Spell check sentenceconstruction.
(04:49):
if we write a sentence, itdoesn't sound right.
It's easy to just go back andfix it.
So there's just so much thatwe're juggling when we're
writing and being able to typejust simplifies these tasks.
Once typing becomes secondnature, students can really
concentrate more on their ideasrather than the mechanics of
writing.
And the last thing I wannamention here is that when you're
(05:11):
typing, you're using your left,handing your right hand, and in
turn you're using both sides ofthe brain.
Anytime you're doing an activitywhere you're using both sides,
activating both hemispheres inthe brain.
This can enhance your neuralconnections, improving
coordination and processingspeed.
It's like a mental workout everytime you type.
(05:35):
as I was thinking about typing,I couldn't help but make these
connections a journey oflearning to type will closely
parallel the process of learningto read, especially when you're
learning to read throughstructured phonics approaches.
As you introduce a few lettersand a vowel, they can blend
those and we have more letters,and you add other phonics
(05:57):
patterns and gradually increaseknowledge students build
proficiency step by step.
This structured progression isparticularly beneficial for
dyslexic learnings.
While when you're learning thetype, it's the same way you're
gonna start with just.
Two keys, you're a nice little Fin your J and you're gonna
gradually add another letter orfinger stroke the same way we
(06:21):
embrace mistakes when learninghow to read.
You will embrace mistakes whenyou're learning how to type.
it is a whole mindset.
That we need to develop in ourstudents that it's okay to make
mistakes.
do something wrong learn from itand try again.
the most important thing is thatwe're moving forward and
continuously practicing.
(06:42):
when you're typing, even me, asI'm doing my typing programs, I
get plenty of red letters.
My goal isn't to have itperfect.
My goal is to get a littlebetter than I was the last time
I practiced.
And gradual development offluency.
When we say fluency, we meansmoothness and speed words per
minute are tracked in bothtyping and reading, but our
(07:04):
focus doesn't have to be onbeing the fastest reader or the
fastest typer right away.
Typing fluency, just likereading fluency develops over
time.
with practice typing, speed willincrease naturally as accuracy
and confidence grows.
So emphasizing accuracy beforespeed will ensure a very solid
(07:25):
foundation, and both reading andtyping.
So look at some of the sciencebehind typing in the brain.
Several studies highlight thecognitive benefits of typing for
dyslexic individuals, typingreinforces phonics and spelling,
touch typing programs,especially those incorporating
(07:47):
phonics can enhance spelling byassociating finger movements
with specific letters andsounds.
Typing reinforces the neuralpathways involved in reading and
spelling.
We're turning reading andspelling more into a kinesthetic
activity where we're not justseeing the words and hearing the
words.
We're touching them.
Typing will also activate thelanguage processing centers in
(08:11):
the brain while handwritingengages more of these centers, a
broader brain network.
typing will still stimulateareas related to language
processing.
this engagement supports thedevelopment of literacy skills
typing improves organization andexecutive functioning, A lot of
(08:31):
people don't realize thatorganization is something that
dyslexic struggle with, and itcould be.
Organizing our writing, keepingour numbers in order when we're
doing math.
It could also be keeping ourroom tidy or knowing where that
homework assignment is.
All of these things can comeinto play with dyslexia and the
(08:52):
way our brain works when we'retyping.
it will help to improve theseorganizational parts of our
brain.
So I wanted to share with yousome of the typing programs that
I have looked into and myspecific thoughts on them.
first, I already mentioned rightnow I'm using typing.com.
I just went to typing.com'causeit's what I've always used.
(09:15):
And I'm familiar with it andit's free.
The free version is completelyadequate.
there are ads, but they're kindof to the side.
They're nodding your face, theydon't, I don't even notice them.
So I am been using typing.commyself, but I wanted to look
into, I love when I'm listeningto a podcast.
And they give me the deets.
I don't have to go research formyself.
(09:35):
So I wanted to share with you alittle bit more.
So they do have an ad free,their premium version, and it's
3 99 a month.
It takes the ads away, but theyalso have other things involved.
One of those is a codingprogram, which is me.
Super intrigued.
I wanna check that out.
I'm really tempted to sign upfor premium typing just for
(09:57):
that.
Computer safety things being agood digital citizenship, I
believe they call it.
and other typing programs thatare involved in having a premium
membership.
I also tried out typing club.
Actually being in their lessonsI thought was pretty cool.
I really enjoyed the lessons andjust kind of the way.
(10:20):
The keystrokes and stuff, andthe screen was laid out.
They have more games kind ofbuilt in, and I found those
really engaging.
But if you are going onto theirfree version, their ads are
everywhere.
I felt they were reallyobnoxious.
Sometimes there was ads comingfrom the top and from the
bottom, and they were coveringup where I was trying to click,
and I was really frustrated withit.
(10:40):
So unless you are wanting to,invest and use their ad-free
experience.
I kind of wouldn't recommend it,but to get an ad free, so I
mentioned the typing.com was 399 a month, And it's per month,
month to month.
You don't need to commit to theyear and pay the whole year up
front.
typing club, if you want to gomonth to month, it's eight 50 a
(11:03):
month.
And if you want to pay.
For the whole year, then it'sonly$35 for the year.
I think that they said it waslike 2 92 a month, so that's
pretty reasonable.
I do prefer to do things monthto month because if I decide to
stop doing it, I don't wanna payfor whole year and then you know
that next year auto renews andyou forgot.
(11:23):
So those are just my honestthoughts on typing.com and
typing.
Typing.
Club.
Another one you might wanna lookinto.
I was trying to research it, butthey made me put in my email and
they said they were gonna sendme a demo and.
They haven't yet.
So I'm really interested tolearn more about touch type,
read and spell.
this is a typing program madefor dyslexic students.
(11:46):
some of the feedback on it isthat it could be kind of boring
and dry, which may affectmotivations.
So that kind of makes me leanaway, but.
It is touch typing and phonicslike Orton-Gillingham aligned, I
wanna research this more.
I do plan to have a futureepisode where I go over lots of
different technologies that areavailable to support dyslexia.
(12:09):
I know I always mention in myepisodes what I wanna do in the
future, and sometimes I get tothe things, sometimes I don't.
If I don't send me a message,hit me up and let me know, like,
Hey, I'm really waiting for thisand I will totally get on top of
it.
So let's talk about the rightapproach to teaching.
Typing there is a right way anda wrong way.
(12:30):
it makes me think back to myvery own high school keyboarding
class my mom who's not dyslexicwas a really fast keyboarder.
She was really proud of thisskill, her whole life.
They got her jobs and all ofthat.
'cause that was a very importantskill for a long, long time.
I took keyboarding in highschool and in the beginning it
was fun.
I was keeping up, we werelearning our keys, strokes.
(12:51):
But once we've learned all thekeys, the whole focus became on
increasing words per minute.
And there was these graphs andwe were compared to everyone in
the class.
even though I was trying.
I was always down at the bottomwith the kids who weren't
trying.
So eventually I just stoppedtrying.
my keyboarding skills neverprogressed very far because
anything like this takespractice and practice was
(13:13):
discouraging when I kept seeingmyself at the bottom of the
list.
I feel like this is anotherwarning for teaching, reading.
the students, come to schoolexcited, wanting to learn,
learning their letters andsounds, they're right there with
the rest of their.
Class until they're not, untilthe students start to move ahead
beyond them.
I should probably record this'cause I talk with my hands a
(13:34):
lot until the other studentsmove ahead and they feel left
behind and they're trying andthey're trying, but they're just
not even close.
And it could get reallydiscouraging.
And many times these students,eventually give up especially if
they don't know they havedyslexia, if their schools
dunno, they have dyslexia.
If their teacher thinks thatthey're not trying or they're
(13:56):
being lazy, or if you would justfocus or put in effort, then you
could read the word Things likethis Will produce a student who
just shuts down and cannot putany mental energy into learning
to read.
And that's what happened to mewith learning to type.
So when teaching, reading,prioritize accuracy.
Gradual progress.
(14:17):
Is the way to go.
I love these structuredprograms.
I do feel like typing.com movesa little slower in their
progression and introduction ofkeys than typing Club did.
So I would maybe prefer that.
and then just keep a positivereinforcement and celebrating
every little win.
So I hope by now I've talked youinto starting yourself or your
(14:41):
dyslexic student to learningtyping.
Now, please know when theystart, it is going to be more
challenging for them than itwould be for a student without
dyslexia.
I think it's fair to be honestwith them.
Like, Hey, we're gonna do this.
It's not gonna be easy.
You're gonna make a lot ofmistakes, but we can do anything
for like 10 minutes, right?
If you could do 10 minutes aday, you will make.
(15:04):
Mind boggling progress over thenext few weeks.
So I recommend starting nice andyoung.
even before you know they havedyslexia, I started my
5-year-old on typing.com.
She's loving it.
Is she perfect to know?
But she is getting familiar withthe keyboard and is really
enjoying.
The process of learning.
And that's what we should alwaysencourage students to enjoy the
(15:27):
learning process, not just thegoal of mastering something.
choose a structured typingprogram like typing.com or
typing club, and there'sprobably so many, many, many
more out there.
Those are just the ones I know.
Incorporate some more enjoyableelements.
There are more gamified typingprograms and websites you can
look into.
(15:47):
emphasize accuracy over speed.
Our goal isn't to be the fastesttyper.
It's to get the right lettersand the speed will come.
Help your student be patientwith themselves and just enjoy
the process.
So my final thoughts, I firmlybelieve that learning the type
is one of the most empoweringtools we can offer dyslexic
(16:09):
students.
It not only enhances writingcapabilities, but also boosts
confidence and self-expressionby reducing the barriers
associated with handwriting andspelling.
Typing enables students toarticulate their thoughts more
freely.
Given the research in mypersonal observations, it's
(16:31):
evident that typing reinforcesmany of the same skills involved
in reading and writing.
Therefore, I personally advocatefor incorporating, typing
instruction into the learningprocess for all dyslexic
students.
If you haven't yet consideredtyping as a tool for your child,
I encourage you to explore thisoption.
(16:53):
It may have a more profoundimpact than you anticipate.
Thank you for joining me on thisepisode of Dyslexia Decoded with
Teacher.
Maggie.
If you found this discussioninsightful, please share it with
other parents or educators whomight benefit.
I am eager to hear about yourexperiences.
(17:13):
If your child is learning let meknow how it's going.
If you look down in thedescription of the episode,
there should be a link tomessage me directly.
Now, some of you know I have.
Been on this podcast sinceJanuary.
I went to start in September,procrastination, fear, all of
the things.
(17:34):
But I hesitated to start and Istarted in January.
So it's been three-ish monthsnow, and and I've been pretty
consistent getting an episodeout weekly this week.
It took me a little longer tofind something I was really
excited about, and I'm excitedto share something that means
(17:55):
something to me and isn't justwhat I think you wanna hear, I
did get my first email fromLaura, so I wanted to say hi to
Laura and her son.
congratulations on your dyslexiadiagnosis, and if you or any of
the listeners need anything,please reach out to me.
I do this because I want toconnect with you.
(18:15):
So until next time, friends,keep going slow and trust the
process.
Bye-bye.
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