3rd grade homework--anyone keyboarding? My 8 year old son has gotten a rocky start to 3rd grade b/c of timed math tests, writing sentences, etc.  He has a VERY high IQ (148) but can't do his homework or take a timed test b/c of the presure to handwrite which is excrutiatingly difficult for him.  Even writing down numbers on a math test quickly and legibly is hard.  I believe he needs to begin to use a keyboard...Alpha Smart has been mentioned.  We have a new IEP for him in two weeks b/c I requested one ahead of schedule so we could address this and a few other issues.  Can anyone offer anything? Have you looked up the AlphaSmart?  The newer version to that is the Dana and they are EXCELLENT options.  I just finshed a graduate level assistive technology class this summer and my professor made a statement that really stuck in my mind.  If I gave every child on my caseload some sort of assistive technology that would make them "produce" work better or faster or whatever, that accommodation alone has the potential to reduce my caseload by 40%.  40%!!!!  That's huge to me.  That some kids ONLY need a little help from technology and they no longer need other people to be independent.  Of course, I do know that children with ASD require more than assisitve technology.  But I do feel that gets left out of the picture alot of times when it would solve alot of problems.  My professor did an entire lesson on Alphasmart and The Dana.  From what I remember it's a  great alternative to having to buy an entire laptop when the child just needs access to word processing.  I think it is an excellent idea, as long as the pressure of having to operate technology isn't stressful to him.  One more thing I wanted to mention, no where in my state's course of curriculum for math does it say a child should be able to do 100 multiplication facts in less than 5 minutes, or any time limit for that matter.  So the fact that he can't perform well under pressure and actually get things down on paper should be accommodated, maybe by him not having to do his in a timed manner.  That is very logical, although regular ed teachers don't see it as fair, becasue all the other children have to be timed.  Well, so what, those students are NT and don't have special needs.  Or their parents would be in line right after you to get their meeting.  Just my opinion. Thanks for the input...I am looking at Alpha Smart.  Here's my issue with the timed math....HE will have to know those facts more quickly as he advances into higher grades, so won't that be key to his continuing to learn math?  I can have the timed tests stricken from his requirements through his IEP I think, but will that help him or hurt him int he long run I wonder? There is a difference in KNOWING his facts and being able to use them to complete problems in a "normal" time limit and having the pressure of a timer count down as you stare at a page of facts.  Does that make sense? I am not saying he shouldn't have to be able to learn the facts if he can.  But if it takes him 10 mins to do what other kids can do in 5 mins.  That is acceptable.  What is the noraml time limit on the timed test and how much of it does he complete correctly in that time? Very good point.  The timed test IS 100 problems in 5 minutes.  He completes an average of 7..that's right, 7.  He then brings them home to complete at night and it takes its toll on us both.  I go line by line with him and he usually gets half way through in about 20 minutes and then we call it a night...and we builtup to that. He has an element of ADD as well, so focusing on it is an issue--head in the clouds type thing.  Here is something interesting I found last night:  He is using a VERY complex way to figure the problems, I couldn't even following the formula.  He converts numbers to other numbers and then adds, then subtracts or something.  And it is subtraction!I know I've been singing the praises of the AlphaSmart from the mountain tops lately, but it is something that bears repeating.  It's been an incredible aide for my son, who's handwriting is not that bad, but who has great difficulty communicating through the written word when handwriting.  Through typing, he is able to express himself much more freely, and complete writing assignments with little or no assistance.  And the AlphaSmart is fun to use, and a status symbol of sorts for kids that have them.  He loves it, and since he broke the thumb on his writing hand earlier this week, it's really a Godsend.  Normally he does all of his Math calculations by hand (he's capable of doing it all in his head, but he is required to show his work), but he can use the AlphaSmart while he is recovering from his injury.Thank you for the input!  I am going to bring it up at the IEP.  IS it something you purchased yourself or is the school providing it?  I have looked at them on line--not terribly pricey I don't think. I hope you get the assisitve technology he needs.  But one thing that still might be taking so long when you guess are doing it for homework is staring at that paper with all those facts.  They look like ALOT to me when I am grading them, just imagine what they look like to him.  Try to cut them up into like strips of 20 probelms at first so the visual part of it is not so overwhelming.  That is strange that he uses some kind of method to do his subtraction.  I wonder if he got confused when the teacher was teaching and so he had to make it into a way he could understand, or if that's just how his mind works.  I do not teach all the different ways that textbooks present for adding and subtracting, like doubles, mental math, rounding, front in adding, etc.  I have always thought introducing several ways to do one problem was asking for trouble with special needs kids in general.  I stick to the basic ways of doing math facts.  Like for 8-5 I would say hold the small number in your head (5) count on with your fingers starting at 6 until you get to 8.  How many fingers are you left up with? 3.  So the child would say 5 to themselves, hold up one finger and count 6, next finger count 7, next finger count 8.  You have counted to the bigger number (8) and however many fingers you are left holding up is your answer.  Or Addition is kind of similiar, but you count up and all that.  He may need some additional instruction in the way he is completing these problems. I know math is probaly not your only concerns. But those are just some things I could think of off the top of my head.  About the only way to accommodate math is reduce the number of problems given or give the child some manipulative to count out.   Otherwise, you gotta go down in some levels of math. No, they are not too pricey - $250-$300 -  but the school purchased Connor's for him.  The special ed teacher thought it would be helpful, checked a box on the IEP we were conducting, and presto!  A week later he was off and running.  Of course I was given the run around for years at his elementary school about how difficult it was to get approval from the district to get one, and like a naive fool, I believed them.  When the teacher at his middle school announced "He needs an AlphaSmart.  Let's get him one", and it was done, my jaw literally dropped.  That's it?  Just like that?  "Hey, the district may sign my check, but I work for the kids and their parents.  If I think he needs an AlphaSmart, then he gets an AlphaSmart".  God, I love that woman! Wow great advice everyone...Karen, I am just wondering if he shouldhave one he can keep through the coming years...or is it something your sonmay only need for a few? Wray, I do cover all but the line he is working on b/c I saw that coming from a mile away!  When we do the problems orally he does much better! Another day, another challenge.    As far as I know, it stays with him until he no longer attends school in the district (technically the district owns it).  Since he has an established learning disability in the area of written language, I'm not concerned that it will be taken away before he finishes high school.  I'm assuming he will need a laptop when he goes to college, which would make more sense for him at that point in his life anyway.  Another nice thing about the AlphaSmart is that it is half the size of a laptop, and very lightweight, so it fits easily in a backpack.
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