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Vol. 4 No. 5 Sept/Oct 1996 |
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Computer Assistance for Child With ADHD
Rita McCommons
One year ago, our eight year-old son Drew, who attends public school in an integrated classroom, was diagnosed with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a Nonverbal Learning Disability, and a Developmental Coordination Disorder. Having ADHD means Drew has difficulties with both sustained attention and self-regulation. A Nonverbal Learning Disability indicates that Drew is functioning within the average range in verbal cognitive skills such as basic reading and spelling, but has difficulty in integrating basic mathematics concepts, such as catching a ball, balancing on one foot, as well as fine motor skills in which he lacks sufficient strength and stability to form his letters at his peer level. Each could affect his handwriting to a degree and, in Drew’s case, it seemed that all three did. He had difficulty making shapes; he recognized his letters, but had a great deal of difficulty remembering how to form them, and with the ADHD he didn’t want to take the time to work at it.
One of the recommendations given us by the A. I. duPont Developmental Medicine Clinic was to start Drew on a computer as soon as possible. In this way he would be able to put his ideas on paper without becoming frustrated or losing his train of thought while forming his letters. A. I. suggested that we contact the DATI ATRC located in the Kent County Community School. They felt they would help us to set up a program for Drew in cooperation with the school. Not only did they do this, but the ATRC also apprised us of our rights in education and attended an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meeting with us. Ron Sibert, DATI Funding Specialist, assisted us in having the keyboarding lessons written into our IEP. To lay the foundation for written communication in the classroom, Drew first had to learn the keyboard.
Patty Hove, OTR/L, has set up a keyboarding program for Drew to do in school with the help of school personnel. She periodically visits the school to see how he is progressing. In the classroom, Drew has a volunteer tutor that assists him in practicing keyboarding three times per week. He has learned to access the keys by memory (vision occluded) in the “home row (asdfghjkl;’) and the row above the home row,” and is just beginning to combine words using those two rows of keys. Drew continues to manually write his letters, words, and sentences when time is not a factor, and has made improvements in the legibility. However, Drew continues to need a lot of repetition from week to week. At home, Drew completes his homework on the computer, devoting his energy to communicating his thoughts rather than the formation of the letters.
Drew seems to be progressing rapidly in spite of his disabilities; we hope that by the time he enters third grade he can do most of his work on the computer. It continues to be a struggle getting Drew to do his homework.
However, we have come a long way in one year and could not have done it without the ATRC. Not only have we learned a great deal, but it has been a great lesson in how the ATRC, family, and school can work together to benefit the child.
For more information on keyboarding software, contact your local ATRC.
Rita McCommons is a very effective parent advocate for her son with learning disabilities. The Kent County ATRC appreciates Rita’s willingness to share information about Drew with others.
