Typing/laptop and secondary school work

[SonorousBip]

DS has just started at secondary. It is a fairly selective school (much liked on MN ) and he is reasonably bright. He has always been what I would call a "boy-style" writer: always a bit like getting blood out of a stone etc, thank you cards absolute torture, much groaning about literacy homework by him and teachers always saying "DS, this is actually really good but we need MORE". His handwriting is...fine... its legible, it just would not win any prizes and it is SLOW. His Y6 report for the first time overwhemingly said for all written subjects - it is all in there, he is just not putting down enough.

At secondary he is allowed to do some homework on screen. I would say there has been an almost startling change in output. He did - and got very high marks for and a commendation - a project which if he had handwritten would have ended up in his and my tears, inky paper etc. He rattled of 4 long paragraphs of history homework earlier this week without prompting or intervention which just would not have happened if written.

So my question is - do I need to encourage/insist that ds keeps up with writing, eg because all of his GCSE's are going to need it, so he may as well persevere with it now? Or is it going to be possible to get him doing more and more on the computer (and if so, can he only do so with some sort of SEN diagnosis)?

I'm sort of in the camp of "writing out long stuff is a life skill, so you better suck it up and learn how to do it, matey" camp, but honestly the change in his output has been so stark, I wonder if we need to follow through with it. and maybe it was a life skill in the 80's when I was at university but isn't now.

I would speak to the Senco. DD is dyslexic and writes very slowly. She is entitled to the use of a laptop in exams. It is also available in the classroom but only really used for extended writing subjects.

I would have thought that the Senco can do a basic assessment and see if s/he thinks he will benefit from the laptop in school and perhaps for exams. When she was in year 7 it did bring a lot of comments and attention from other kids though.

With DD1 we encouraged her to keep going with handwritten for at least half her work, on the grounds that in GCSEs she would need to handwrite.

At the end of y9 I wrote to school asking her to be assessed (due to something I read here), and the result was she can use a word processor for her GCSEs.

So we bought her a small notebook which she now uses in school for note taking and larger writing pieces. We have seen a good improvement as a result.

So I would ask SENCO for an assessment. You never know it may help.

That is interesting, thanks for the views.

Re SEN, at his primary, the head said she thought there was probably "something" there but almost imperceptible/right on the cusp (this was a private one, and they had a senco on staff, so it wasn't as though they werre only triage-ing those with the most need).

I think doing his homework on the computer has a high novelty factor as well ATM.

A word with the SENCO at his secondary school may be in order, by the sound of it, but keep him up with handwriting.

We had a similar story with DS2 in Y6 and when he started at secondary school last year (also selective) he was quickly flagged up as having handwriting issues, sent off to the Learning Support teacher, assessed and given 'laptop' rights. So he can now use a laptop in lessons and in exams for essay subjects, as well as for homework. He's learned to touch type over the summer and it makes his work so much easier to read. It also makes him more productive and helps with organisation.

DS1 didn't get put onto a laptop until Y9 but for him too it's been enormously helpful - he also learned to touch type and is very fast now.

The only requirement for access to a laptop in GCSEs is that it has been the child's normal way of working for at least a year previously. So if I were you I'd approach the school about it now.

I think you're right that handwriting is not such a vital life skill as when we were at school. Our children will need to write less and less by hand - even shopping lists and reminders can be put on your phone/tablet.

LOL, yes - my 9 YO daughter has given me a very neat, handwritten with a fountain pen, list of things she would like for Christmas and DS has emailed me a note from his phone!

TennAndTween can I ask what notebook you purchased and if you'd recommend it? We are looking for DS. Also, how does that work for their spelling and punctuation - do you just have an option turned off so that they do it all themselves?

SonorousBip you can also refer yourself to the OT who can complete a speed test etc giving you a full report to help win your case if SEN department are unhelpful.

have you discounted dysgraphia?

I would definitely talk to the SENCO but the threshold for access arrangements for exams (eg laptops) can change a fair bit from year to year, so you won't know exactly what your DS' writing will need to be like in order to rely on that for GCSEs etc. So I would keep the hand muscles developing by keeping writing for at least some of the time.

Generally if handwriting is slow, or really messy and ineligible, a student can use a laptop for exams. But that may change in the future.

My DS has dysgraphia and is also in Y7. The dysgraphia has only recently been diagnosed because it can be masked by other stuff in the early years of learning.
Apart from barely legible writing the main signs are an awkward pen grip, pain when writing and a big discrepancy between what he knows and what he can write down.

He's going to be allowed to type, do his maths on bigger squared paper and have 25% extra time in exams (subject to changing regulations!).

My route was to have him formally assessed. SenCos can do this but its mainly the job of educational psychologists. Occupational Therapists come afterwards when you are looking for ways to help him overcome his difficulties.