Using a keyboard in exams ?

[Kittypickle]

I have just been into sign DD's IEP and had a chat with the SENCO. She has come to the conclusion and I agree with her, that DD is unlikley to make much more progress with her writing and at some point when the pace steps up ie. Middle school (she is Year 3, has dyspraxia & hypermobility) she is going to be left behind in class if she has to write everything herself.
So at some point we are going to gently introduce her to typing. Now I know that children with dyslexia/dyspraxia get an extra 25% of time in exams, but if a child is using a keyboard all the time in lessons as I suspect she will at some point, are they able to use their keyboard in their GCSE's etc ?
I know it is a very long way off and she may in fact manage to produce legible writing at a speed a little faster than a slug (personally think there is more chance of spotting a flying hedgehog, but I live in hope), but I am interested to know what the position is just because I hadn't thought of it and am interested to know. If anyone has had any experience about this I would be very grateful to know

Some children use a type writer in GCSE, some use a scribe, it depends on the child/nature and degree of the SEN.

Using typewriters in the exam can be good, but in some papers the kids still need to write on the papers....this is often the case in science exams

Try phoning one of the exam boards or looking at there websites. I haven't taught for a couple of years but i'm pretty sure you could apply for stuff like that and if not you may get a writer. Loads of kids get readers or writers in exams, it is worth looking into as she will have to do sats in yr6 and it may be applicable then it certainly is in the year 9 ones and you have to apply quite some time in advance.

Yes, it is certainly possible to use a keyboard in an exam. We had a number of children every year who did so. They were assessed by a specialist teacher, who wrote a report for the exam boards. They would then grant the special exam provision. The same procedure was used to get extra time.If there is a statement of SEN in place, this assessment may not be necessary.

No problem

You can still use a WP even for exams where you need to write on the paper. The answers are just typed instead of written on and the printed copy sent off with the paper. A member of staff will usually check the question numbering so there is no ambiguity. As MB says, there is also the option of a scribe. The assessor will make a recommendation.

Oh, and the school applies for the special provisions. It needs to be done the year of the exam, but in plenty of time of course. Can't remember when the deadlines are. Speak to the SENCO nearer the time.

Oh fantastic, thank you all It's a long way off I know, just nice to know what can happen.

Been a while, but as I recall there are quite sensible rules on the noise the keyboard makes.
For various technical reasons "good" KBs tend to be noisy.

However as someone who moved to a keyboard at the earlierst possible moment, I have to tell you that some subjects like maths require a lot more time to input the stuff.
My issues were slightly different, no official SENs, but even then, it is extremely hard to type at what is effectively dicatation speed, especially if you are trying to think about the stuff, which is of course the idea...

Also there is a big trade off between quality of KB in terms of weight, and of course it needs to be attached to a computer. These are fragile and heavy.
There is technology to cope with this, but it's not all cheap
The first thing I'd buy is a cheap digitising tablet.
like these
Two sets of benefits.
1: A lot of class work is pictures, and DD needs to be able to capture this as well as the words.

2: It's a fun, cool toy. I'm betting that DD's morale with the writing gig is very low. Being told officially you're crap, no matter how nicely done, isn't great, been there, done that.

3: The software for this sort of thing is has "undo last screwup" feature. That means she can undo the errors.

4: Computers are patient, entirely non judgemental, and it's possible that if you also acquire a printer she can do stuff her mates can't. Big thing, and might help to reduce some negative reasctions from her peers.

I'd also look at web cams, make sure you get one that can take stills, and has enough poke to take pictures of the blackboard, which means not the cheapest.

I'd also look to see how DD copes with a microphone. Nowadays you can get MP3 gear that is tough, cheap (

I worked as a TA in a high school and when it came to GCSE's the very badly dyslexic/dyspraxic kids had a scribe who worote down word for word including punctuation, spelling etc their answers after they were read the questions. This worked really well as they were in a room on their own with the TA. You must ensure though that the Senco and the exams officer get this requested and booked in time.

Also while working with avisually impaired student she had a very cool gadget which was suppllied by the LEA that one bit stuck on the board and hooked up onto a computer, the teacher was given a special pen and whatever was written on the board was downl;oaded onto the computer and saved. This meant that she had access to the notes that the rest of the class had without struggling to write or me to write for her, kept her independence and shot her cool factor up within the class enormously!

DC & Sophiewd, thank you both very much.

DC, that has given me food for thought, I hadn't though about things like a digitising tablet etc. She has no idea yet that she will probably not be able to write fast enough to keep up, not sure how she is going to react when she gets to that stage, I think you are very right about her morale. But I am working on that as much as I can. A webcam is a brilliant idea, her drawing is pretty rubbish under pressure and I'm not massively optimistic that she will be able to note down diagrams with labelling etc. I am going to get DH to have a read of your post and set him the job of looking into things that could help her. He's pretty up on technology but it does feel a bit paralysing when it's your child I think. She starts Middle school the year after next so we do have a good bit of time yet thank goodness before it really becomes a problem. I'm glad though we know this now so we do our homework.

Sophiewd, I love the sound of that gadget, it sounds great ! The SENCO has said that it's important to get alternatives set up for her from Year 6 SATS as they base decisions on historical need.

We've been very lucky so far, she has excellent OT & Physio at our local co-ordination clinic and her SENCO is superb. But I think that it might not be the case when she changes schools and want to be as clued up about all this as possible.