"I THINK I CAN - I KNEW I COULD": SUCCESSFUL LEFT HANDED TYPING FOR TWO SCOTTSDALE STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS USING THE ALPHASMART (R) PRO

Froma Cummings
Occupational Therapy For Kids
9541 E. Davenport Dr.
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
Internet: OT4Kids@dancris.com

Kathryn A. Anderson
Scottsdale Unified School District
8418 Via de Encanto
Scottsdale, AZ 85258
Internet: AndersKA@aol.com

Web Posted on: November 22, 1997

Meet two regular kids with special needs. Subject 1 is a vibrant seven year old female with a terrific personality and a wonderful outlook on life. At age 4 1/2 years, Subject 1 was involved in an accident in which she sustained a closed head injury and she subsequently suffered two strokes and multiple seizures. The traumatic brain injury and the strokes resulted in spastic right hemiparesis and significant motor and cognitive deficiencies. She still has little to no sensation in her right leg and toes. She wears APO's on both legs to assist in walking. The fingers of her right hand are still difficult to control: sometimes, she will grasp something with her right hand and will be unable to release it. Much progress in the control of the muscles of her right hand has occurred since she first started school. Prior to the accident, her preferred hand was her right hand; now, she is forced to use her left hand as her primary hand, thus adding to her difficulties in writing and fine motor skills.

Our first encounter with Subject 1 was when she enrolled in the kindergarten class at our school in the Scottsdale Unified School District in February, 1995. She began attending kindergarten in the morning, with three visits weekly in the afternoons to the cross-categorical Learning Resource Center. She received instruction in Mathematics, Reading, and Written Language skills there. At the same time, she was receiving Occupational Therapy services in her classroom, as well as Speech-Language Therapy. Presently, she is in the second grade with resource assistance for Mathematics, Reading, and Written Language instruction delivered daily in three 40-minute periods either through pull- out to the Learning Resource Center or through direct instruction in her regular classroom. She also receives Occupational Therapy for 30 minutes per week either in the classroom or on the playground, with 60 minutes of Speech-Language Therapy per week.

Subject 2 is a lively and personable six year old male who was born prematurely at 28 weeks by Caesarean section. He spent the first 3 months of his life in the hospital. He had grade IV bleeding on th left side of his brain at birth, and a shunt was inserted to relieve the fluids, with repeated operations to enlarge the shunt. By age 3 months, he had approximately 20 operations for the shunt, his heart, his eyes, and other areas. As a result, subject 2 has a history of reflux, feeding problems, and an aversion to handling. He has decreased tone in his bilateral lower extremities, and in his right arm and hand. He has APO's on both legs and a splint on his right wrist. He is unable to completely extend his right arm, as well. Around campus, he has been using a walker between classrooms and out to recess, as his balance is quite poor, and he has yet to develop the reactions necessary to maintain balance. Since mid-January an attempt has been made to decrease his reliance on the walker and travel unassisted.

We first observed Subject 2 in April, 1996. He was attending kindergarten in a self-contained Primary Learning Center at another school in our district. After an evaluation of his skills and needs, it was decided that in August, 1996, Subject 2 would begin first grade at our school. He has continued to receive Special Education services from the first day of the 1996 - 1997 school year. Written Language instruction is being delivered in the Learning Resource Center through a pull-out model, but instruction and monitoring of attending behavior skills are being conducted in his regular classroom through team- teaching shared by his classroom teacher and the Learning Resource teacher during the Reading period. He receives other services as well, either in the classroom or on a pull-out basis:

Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Adaptive Physical Education, and Speech-Language Therapy.

Both students are presently completing many of their written language assignments assisted by a computer-like tool known as the AlphaSmart (R) Pro. It is a keyboard with an LCD display in which text can be typed and stored, then transferred to a Macintosh or PC for formatting and printing. It is inexpensive, making it a perfect tool for use in schools.

The AlphaSmart (R) Pro measured 8.2 inches by 11.8 inches and weighs approximately two pounds, so that it is easily transportable from home to school, or classroom to classroom. AlphaSamrt (R) Pro may be powered by a rechargeable nickel cadmium battery pack, connected to a wall outlet via an AC adapter, or by two AA alkaline batteries (we use the AA batteries). The batteries will power it for up to 200 hours of use. It has a full-sized, full-featured 80-key keyboard which is equivalent to a Macintosh or PC keyboard when connected to a computer's keyboard port. Keys across the top serve as function keys specific to the AlphaSmart (R) Pro, as well as special use keys, i.e., insert/delete. Information is automatically stored in one of eight files and displayed on a 4-line by 40-character LCD display. The 128,000 characters of memory are capable of storing 64 pages of text in eight files. Through the use of a Y- cable, or by the removal of the computer's keyboard from its cable, the AlphaSmart (R) Pro can be connected to and IBM or Macintosh computer and the information stored can be uploaded into any word processing program, i.e., Claris Works (R), Microsoft Works (R), MacWrite (R), WordPerfect (R), or Microsoft Word (R). Text can then be edited, revised, and/or printed. The files can then be saved on the computer, thus eliminating the need to remain resident in the AlphaSmart (R) Pro's files and therefore, freeing space for future assignments.

Research on teaching keyboarding skills to elementary students is scarce. Most studies conducted on this subject in the past twenty years have focused on teaching fifth and sixth grade students keyboarding skills. Delaying typing instruction until the later grades was based on the misconception that "younger children cannot develop the small movement skills required," according to Michael H. Wronkovich (1988), quoting an earlier study by L. B. Whitmill in 1973. The results of Wronkovich's study using fifth and sixth grade students were mixed. He found that the students in the treatment group continued to use their newly learned typing skills sporadically after the study. He found that students who touch type can enter data into a computer more efficiently, but generally do not practice touch typing after training. Milly Cowles and others (1983) conducted a study using 24 children, ages 5 through 8, enrolled in a summer school program. They used IBM Selectric typewriters and a modified "Touch to Type Typing Program." Cowles, et al concluded that 'young children can learn to type correctly..." Their observations led them to believe that children's ability to read was a contributing factor to their success. James L. Hoot in his article "Keyboarding Instruction in the Early Grades" (1986) stated that he felt that "typing can be extremely motivating for young children" and that children "enjoy creating by pressing keys." He went on to say that "their efforts to create acceptable penmanship can obscure the purpose of writing - to express meaning through print." Our sentiments, exactly! If the earlier research was true then we had three strikes against us: ability to read, and the ability to develop the small motor coordination to correctly touch type, and maintenance of the skills.

Subject 1 began using an AlphaSmart (R) Pro, purchased by the district for her use, in Spring, 1996, at the age of 6 1/2 years.

Through the use of a left-handed typing manual developed by one of the teachers in the district, we were able to instruct her on the positioning of her fingers and the correct keying. The course begins as all courses do, with just four home keys; in this case, f, g, h, and j. Then it continues to add letters, numbers, and special characters until all are learned. By the end of May, 1996, she had learned about half of the keyboard's letters and/or characters using the correct keying. At the start of the 1996 - 1997 school year, in August, she continued with the lessons outlined in the typing manual. After about a month of those lessons, the repetition began to bore her. To continue her daily practice, but vary the content, we began having her dictated short stories of three to five sentences (since she loved to tell stories, anyway). These "stories" were then transcribed by the teacher onto paper. She would then copy them into the AlphaSmart (R) Pro using correct touch typing. The stories were then transferred onto a Macintosh computer, printed, and saved with help from the Learning Resource Center teacher or the instructional aide. These first stories were edited by the teacher before printing, with the Subject watching, to model the full writing process and to ensure success.

Starting in August, at age 6 1/2 years also, Subject 2 embarked on the same typing instruction that Subject 1 had used, utilizing his own AlphaSmart (R) Pro, again purchased by the district. He had one distinct advantage according to the research - he was able to read already. He progressed at a more rapid rate as his short term memory served him better, especially in that he was able to type whole words. He mastered the home keys and the rest of the letters and special characters by the beginning of October. When we were sure that he was touch typing correctly, we encouraged him to work independently from the manual. He also became bored by the rote drill and practice of the typing manual, even with his accelerated pace. By mid-October, 1996, Subject 2 was copying "stories" he had dictated. He experienced more initial success than Subject 1, in that he was more adept at correct fingering, as well as discerning spacing between words. Too, his reading skills helped to keep his spelling errors to a minimum. His stories were also edited before printing; more importantly for Subject 2 since he could read easily what he had typed when done correctly.

Once each student attained a relative amount of independence and accuracy at his/her typing skills (speed was not a consideration at this time), each was encouraged to take his/her AlphaSmart (R) Pro to his/her regular classroom to use whenever writing was expected to complete an assignment. Since the AlphaSmart (R) Pro is small and can fit easily on a student's desktop, it is a less obtrusive aid to the success of a handicapped student than using the classroom computer, and less of a disruption to the other students in the class. The children were excited to begin this next step when their time arrived. Prior to the introduction of the AlphaSmart (R) Pros into the regular classroom, the teachers were instructed as to the appropriate uses of the keyboard, and the procedure for connecting it to the computer, transferring files, using the keyboard in lieu of the computer's keyboard, etc. by demonstrations performed by Subject 1 and 2.

Subject 1 started taking her AlphaSmart (R) Pro to her classroom in October, 1996, and has completed at least 20 assignments on it, at this writing. Many of these assignments were spelling lessons in which the words were to be written multiple times, or in which responses written to questions involving the spelling lesson. Often, daily journal entries were made on the AlphaSmart (R) Pro instead of using paper and pencil. During the last two months, Subject 1's ability to, and speed at, producing letters and numbers using pencil and paper has increased dramatically, lessening her need for the AlphaSmart (R) Pro. At this time, she now uses the keyboard mostly for writing longer stories of 5 to 10 sentences, which she types directly into the AlphaSmart (R) Pro, skipping the intermediate steps of dictating to a teacher and copying. She is now editing and revising her stories with limited guidance from the teacher or aide, either before or after the file has been transferred to the computer.

As of this writing, Subject 2 is not having as much success writing letters and numbers with a pencil and paper, and so remains very much dependent on the AlphaSmart (R) Pro for work completion. He took it to his classroom early in November and there it remains, on his desk, most of the time. He will transport the keyboard to the Learning Resource Center whenever he has a story that he wants to write or a special assignment which requires extra supervision. In his regular classroom, he uses the AlphaSmart (R) Pro, to write his daily journal entry, to copy and respond to the problem of the day, to write spelling words, and other related activities. Many of the problems and other activities do not require printing, but only visual approval of the teacher, and are often deleted immediately. Subject 2, also, is now composing stories directly to the keyboard and editing them after transferring the file to the computer. He has been instructed to transfer it twice, then to edit the second version. In this way, he can see the rough draft, and the edited/revised version on the same page, thus reinforcing his writing skills.

The other students in both Subject 1's and Subject 2's regular classrooms are aware of these two students' limitations. They applaud the subjects' use of their AlphaSmart (R) Pros for what it is: an aid to increase their (the subjects) participation in the classroom activities as equals, and to the best of their abilities. After the success we have observed with these students in their reading and composition skills and mechanics, and the boost to their self-confidence, use of the AlphaSmart (R) Pro will continue in our programs to assist our students in their inclusion in the regular classrooms and in giving them the opportunities to achieve as they deserve.

References

Cowles, Milly; and others. An Analysis of Young Children Learning Keyboarding Skills. 1982. (ERIC Document Reproductive Services No. ED 28 542.)

Hoot, James L. (1986). Keyboarding instruction in the early grades. Must or mistake? Childhood Education, 63, 95-101.

Wronkovich, Michael H. (1988). The relationship of early keyboard instruction to computer proficiency. Educational Technology, 28, 42-47.