30/09/2026
“My typing is fine.”
I hear this quite a lot from children and teenagers. And of course if they tell their parents they can type perfectly well, why would their parents think otherwise?
They’re using keyboards all the time after all. Laptops at school, messaging friends, gaming, searching online etc. So yes, they can definitely use a keyboard.
But does that mean they can type efficiently?
I see this all the time when I do typing assessments. A child might get a perfectly reasonable typing speed, but when I watch them, they’re looking down at the keyboard, using two or three fingers and constantly moving their eyes between the keyboard and the screen.
And that matters.
If you have to look for the keys, typing isn’t automatic. Part of your attention is being used simply to find the letters.
Now imagine trying to think about what you want to say, plan your sentences, remember your ideas, spell and punctuate at the same time.
This can be particularly important for children with additional learning needs. If working memory, processing, spelling or getting thoughts down is already difficult, hunting around the keyboard just adds another layer of effort.
And very often these are the children who have been given a laptop precisely because handwriting is getting in the way.
Giving a child a laptop doesn’t automatically solve the problem. They need to be able to use it efficiently too.
So if your child tells you their typing is “fine”, have a little look. Are they looking down? How many fingers are they using? Can they type while looking at the screen?
If you’re not sure, this is exactly the sort of thing I can help with. I offer typing assessments as well as touch typing lessons and courses for children of all abilities, including those with additional learning needs.
