My son is almost 20 and was a preemie. He has a writing disability, dysgraphia, and learned to use the computer to express himself in ways that he could not, or would not, do with a pen or pencil. He was able to get by in school. although he wasn't challenged to his real ability because he didn't write as quickly as the other kids so he wasn't moved up as quickly as his skills progressed.
As an adult, he has attended college and is a cadet on the police department. He is excelling because he is bright but had to learn to do things differently than the rest of the students because he was not able to write as quickly or as much as the other students. Typing became MUCH easier for him to master than printing and cursive and didn't slow down his creative juices (his brain) or his thoughts.
I personally don't know how difficult, messy writing (dysgraphia) would compare with writing letters backwards (dyslexia). However, I would assume since both involve fine motor skills, it should be easier to teach the fingers to type than to perfect the skill of writing. It is much easier to remember finger positions through repetition, which would allow the thinking process to flow quite naturally. There are still times that printing and writing must be done, such as job applications, health reports, surveys, etc. but he does not seem to mind them so much since most everything else can be done on the ocmputer!
Once this was recognized and acknowledged by my son's teachers in high school. he began to excel and even started to write for fun: a sci-fi book! On the police department, he has to write many reports and narratives and feels very comfortable doing so, because he does them on a computer. I think the computer can be a great benefit for all children, especially those with disabilities. They might not, however, type exactly like Mavis Beacon teaches, but they sure can type fast!! LOL <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
I just wanted to give ya'll a fast forward vision of the future to see that the frustrations of today pay off and things indeed work out. The teachers that work with our children have success and our children find happiness and we can find some peace. Occassionally. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />
Trish
