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ABOUT

About Us

Over 20 years ago, we began as Special Educators, teaching and implementing the use of Assistive Technology (AT) for students with written output disorders in multiple Michigan school districts. Through our website, we continue to specialize in AT assessment and classroom implementation of the latest best practice "Low-Tech" adaptive equipment and "High-Tech" devices, computer software, iPad apps and Chromebook extensions/apps for students, K-12, who find it difficult/impossible to complete their written schoolwork using paper and pencil. Many of these students are those who continue to have serious struggles with handwriting - no matter what handwriting or vision therapies have been tried. Some are students who therapists know, from a very early age, will never develop useful handwriting skills. This AT now can allow students to easily do things such as written compositions, drawings, worksheets, elementary and middle school math, advanced math and science, correct even the most severe spelling errors - and much more! Over the years, we have been very successful in increasing students' academic independence and self-esteem by "leveling the playing field" for them in the classroom so they can turn in the SAME completed assignments as their classmates. Students who previously relied on others to write for them (a scribe) often no longer need this type of assistance! While we know there is a great deal of information about AT for kids with written output disorders online, it is also very true that much of this information is outdated and it is also often difficult to know what REALLY WORKS in the school environment. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE KNOW WHAT REALLY WORKS! That is why we have created our website, Resource Guides and Consultation services - to share our unique knowledge base with parents and professionals - no matter where they are located. We are very pleased to say that, through the products and services offered on our website, we have served families in every state in the US as well as internationally with English speaking families in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, China, India, Africa, South Africa, Belgium, Greece and Italy.

The students we work with have low-average to above-average intelligence with a variety of disabilities such as:

Physical Impairments

  • Cerebral Palsy

  • Muscular Dystrophy

  • Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Spinal Muscular Atrophy

  • Missing, shortened, malformed limbs and/or digits

  • Paralysis

  • Hemiplegia

  • Fibromyalgia

  • Non-specified Hand Tremors

  • Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

  • Tourette's Syndrome

  • Arthrogryposis

  • Friedrich's Ataxia

  • Spina Bifida

  • Dyspraxia/Developmental Coordination Disorder

 

Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Asperger's Syndrome

  • High-Functioning Autism

  • Autism

  • Pervasive Developmental Disorder Otherwise Non-Specified

 

Learning Disabilities

  • Dysgraphia (difficulty with the motoric act of handwriting)

  • Dyslexia

 

ADD/ADHD

  • Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia of Unknown Cause

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We have become increasingly aware that many school districts are not knowledgeable in the area of AT for students with written output disorders. Yet students with educationally significant handwriting problems are everywhere! Although these problems are easily identified, the area of handwriting problems and their effective solutions is often not appropriately addressed for special needs kids in both inclusive and self-contained classrooms. Many teachers and other professionals feel that kids who exhibit signs and symptoms of Dysgraphia (you can read more about Dysgraphia by clicking on the “Dysgraphia” tab on this website), or those that have been officially diagnosed, just need to continue to practice handwriting skills and re-do their written assignments to eventually improve their handwriting. This rarely is successful. While Occupational Therapy and Vision Therapy can sometimes help to improve the written letters and words of these students in isolation and for very short sentences/assignments, their handwriting often continues to "fall apart" when they are asked to complete actual class assignments and homework. Some kids can become clinically depressed and develop very low self-esteem. Many times, these kids are allowed to do reduced assignments, use a scribe to write for them and/or give oral answers. We almost always say that these things should only be used as "bridges" to appropriate technological "handwriting solutions." Without the use of AT for completing written assignments, students in the US with Section 504 Plans and IEPs cannot access their Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) – with "Appropriate" being the key word. Kids with educationally significant handwriting challenges have the right to complete their written schoolwork as independently as possible - just like most other students.

 

Our Philosophy

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Our philosophy is simple. We believe it is very important to “level the playing field” in the classroom as quickly as possible for students, K-12, with educationally significant handwriting challenges/Dysgraphia by introducing them to our easy, quick method of typing and how to use the latest “best practice” AT for written assignment completion. As mentioned in the above “About Us” information, it is now possible for these students to easily complete ALL the same assignments as their peers without the use of paper and pencil. Based on our 18+ years “hands on” experience working with over 1,000 students with signs and symptoms, or a diagnosis, of Dysgraphia, these students are at great risk for future academic, emotional and/or behavioral failure if they are not taught to use best practice AT as early as possible in their school careers.

Many of these students have serious handwriting challenges/Dysgraphia related to Physical Impairments, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADD/ADHD and Learning Disabilities. The latest research shows that these challenges tend to persist over time in many of these students – no matter what handwriting therapies are tried. We are aware that there are many different programs that you can find online and elsewhere that claim to help to improve the typing, spelling and/or handwriting skills of these students. While these programs may work for some students, they are often quite expensive, take many months or years to complete, and the ultimate results for students with the abovementioned types of disabilities are unknown, at best. Many parents have contacted us over the years with their stories of having spent hundreds/thousands of dollars over many years on programs that have not worked well to help significantly improve their child’s typing, spelling and/or handwriting. They often come to us when their children are in middle or high school when they are already experiencing poor grades and emotional and/or behavioral problems. It is our mission to prevent this from happening to any more students. AT software, apps and extensions for schoolwork completion are now, in most cases, very cost effective. In many cases in the US, school districts are obligated to provide the AT a child needs, if the handwriting challenges are considered to be educationally significant by the child’s educational team through a Section 504 Plan (General Education), an Individualized Education Plan (Special Education) or an Individualized Service Plan (Private School - with exception of a parochial school not receiving any type of public funding).

The 3 things that we believe should be considered in deciding if a student should be using AT for schoolwork completion are LEGIBILITY, TIMELINESS and STRESS. If one of these is a significant issue, the use of AT should be taught. It is important to know that the use of AT for schoolwork completion is often not about abandoning handwriting skills altogether. Some students can do things like fill-in-the-blank worksheets, very short written compositions or math assignments with a pencil and then do the rest of their work using AT. Some students can do things like fill-in-the-blank worksheets or very short written compositions or math assignments with a pencil and then do the rest of their work using AT.

So, our “bottom line” is PLEASE do not let precious academic time be lost ONLY pursuing programs that take many months/years to yield any possible results. Our method of quick and easy typing and the use of AT can be learned very quickly by most students and they can be “up and running” in the classroom using AT to complete the same assignments as their peers, in the same timeframe, often in 8 weeks or less! You can certainly pursue other programs if you wish, but, in the meantime, we highly recommend that you give the student a way to do their work using AT. Once again, this is to prevent loss of academic time and emotional and behavioral problems related to these students watching their peers in the classroom easily do what they struggle to do every day.

Our methods of typing, the devices, software, apps and extensions that we recommend students use for assignment completion - as well as the best ways to implement this technology in the classroom - are included in both editions of our Resource Guides, available on this website. Please click on the “Resource Guide” tab for information about our general Resource Guide and click on the “Resource Guide for Kids with ASD” tab for information about our Resource Guide specifically designed for kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Purchasers of our Guides are also given access information to the “Guide Updates” page on our website, so our Guides always remain current and up-to-date. Please contact us with any questions you may have by clicking on our “Contact Us” tab and we will be happy to respond.

                                                             

                                                      We are here to help.
 

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Thanks so much! ☺

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