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Live Scribe Pen - what am I missing


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My son is severely dysgraphic in the sense that his writing is entirely illegible no matter what. He is not dyslexic and has no problems with the writing process itself. It was suggested that I get him a Live Scribe Pen for his class he will take at the local high school. How would it help him? His memory is quite good so he does not need the audio part, the question pertains to writing tasks in the classroom (i.e. writing on a smart or white board, group projects where notes are exchanged, quizzes and tests). I don't quite understand how a smart pen would help in this situation. What am I missing?

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Sounds like he might need speech to text more than a livescribe pen.  That won't help much with class notes in a live class, though.

 

Can he type?  Is he allowed a computer in his classes?  One of my nephews is like your son.  He has no issues with the process of getting thoughts on paper and has excellent memory.  His handwriting is utterly illegible.  He types EVERYTHING.  He literally types every single thing.

 

Does your son have a diagnosis?  Would the school give him accommodations like not having to write on the dry erase board?

 

A livescribe pen could help him record where/what things happened in class then type his notes later if he needed that.  It might not always be possible to remember every single thing the teacher said without some sort of notes.  Can he read his own handwriting?  The livescribe pen would also take some of the pressure off to try and write lots of notes and he could focus more on remembering what the teacher is saying.

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A Livescribe pen won't help if your son can't write by hand (and even then it might not help much--my son had one but stopped using it because it didn't work right--and he's a tech guy).  It sounds like he would do better with a laptop.

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Yes, he types everything and my idea was to bring a laptop to class or have someone else record his answers or test him orally.  The school was not fond of my ideas.  I have an appointment with a new counselor next month so I will wait to see what they say.  He has a diagnosis for ASD, ADD Inattentive and Dysgraphia.  He does well socially and academically, his biggest problem is the inability to write by hand (signature, filling in forms, taking any sort of note) and no, he cannot read his own handwriting either.

 

I have been trying for years (since he was 3) to get him into OT and Vision therapy but invariably he does not qualify.  In other words I do not know if his dysgraphia is motor or spatial dysgraphia or even both.

 

Because schools were unresponsive we finally pulled him out after 7th grade.  However, he expressed the wish to take at least one class at the school because it is a lot less work than what I am making him do.

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A Livescribe can absolutely help even if a student "can't write by hand."  The pen records everything and times it with any marks you make on your page, so sketchnotes, mind mapping, or any other alternative note-taking system is automatically linked to the audio.  My dyslexic/dysgraphic kid LOVES her livescribe for outside classes (we use this version because it has better features than the newest model).  It is amazing at capturing any information that she misses (despite a good memory).  Examples:

 

- DD hears about how cells work and draws a simple diagram.  The livescribe captures all the details about how each part works and all she needs to do is tap on the correct section of her picture to hear the lecturer describe it.  

 

- Assignments are being explained, but the instructor is speaking too fast for her to capture all of the details, she can simply write the words "to do" and not worry about accidentally writing the date backwards or missing a portion.

 

- Friends are working together on a project and the ideas are flying fast and furious.  She can simply turn on her livescribe at the beginning of the meeting, draw a star, smiley face or Willy Wonka when something important is said, and then go back and listen to specific sections to remember who is doing what.

 

She has been using hers for several years now, and it is pure gold.

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I've heard that there are some Livescribes with speech-to-text functionality, but when researching it we found that our Macbook worked sufficiently for DD's needs, so I didn't pursue it any further.  Perhaps that feature is what the school is hoping to use to help your son gain independence during testing.

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Thanks for all your suggestions.  He is not allowed to bring in his laptop, I will ask the new counselor if he can borrow one from the school for tests and quizzes.  Other than that, you all say what I thought, the LiveScribe does not actually change the writing.  He is getting frustrated with things like having to ask others to write his name tag, a phone number, or to fill in forms for him.  He types just about everything he can type but there are moments in life when technology is not available or really not efficient. 

 

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My rising 11th grader has been carrying and using a device in the classroom for handwriting since the 5th grade.  This is the 21st century and typing is the accommodation for dysgraphic kiddos. 

 

If your child is taking one high school class, who cares really if he carries a laptop and types his work?  I guess I don't understand any push back from the school.  Is he wanting to attend a DOD school?  

 

How many scan tron forms does he fill out ?  I don't see the issue here either.  His standardized testing should be accommodated.  The administrators of the exam should write his name and info down for him, hand back the form, and allow him to fill in the dots.  This is a diagnosed SLD.  No one in their right mind fakes an SLD of written expression, and I see this as fundamentally wrong to embarrass him or make other students responsible for accommodating him as the staff is paid (eta: and his diagnosis is private).

 

Your child could carry an IPad with a keyboard to class.  The school could allow Internet access and then he could log onto Google, use Google Docs to type answers, and then share his work once it is completed.  Maybe explore some IPod apps such as Notability and Inspiration.  Apple has a ton of note taking apps for students, and I love speech to text which is available on Apple and Android devices.  From what you are describing, I can't see the Echo being very useful.

 

BTW, we have explored the handwritten conversion sw on the Echo and it was garbage.  The sw could not correctly read over 50% of my son's handwriting.  

Edited by Heathermomster
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Something else that you could look into?  Is 'OCR' (optical character recognition) software?

 

With this, you can take a photo, or scan a page of text.

The OCR software will then convert it into a Word or PDF file.

Which can then be typed on or edited. 

 

So that with a 'written test'?  He could photograph or scan the pages.  Then complete the test on his laptop, and print it out.

Their are compact scanners, not much bigger than a pencil case.

 

While you are concerned with this one class at the school.

This really presents an opportunity to explore longer term solutions?

 

 

 

 

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There may be IPod/IPad apps that use the device's camera to scan and then edit.  

 

ETA: http://lifehacker.com/five-best-mobile-document-scanning-apps-1691417781

 

ETA2:  Typically, teachers email DS his tests in a Word format and he types the answers to the questions in red or some other color.  For Spanish last year, the spell checker was turned off.  There has always been an understanding that his device could be checked, and he adheres to the academic honor code.    

Edited by Heathermomster
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Yes, it is a DOD school.  While I understand their concerns a laptop would be really helpful.  We get a new counselor next month and I have an appointment set up with her so we will see what happens then.  The class was his idea, I have no problem doing it at home if needed.  If not, there are online classes.

 

I am not concerned with this class only, not being able to handwrite at all affects his everyday life.  Having him produce consistent scribbles to use as a signature is a problem, signing himself out of school for example is a problem because they cannot read his name or any other information he gives.  He recently flew overseas and had to fill in a customs form on the plane - it was a no go and he had to ask for assistance.  I simply have no idea what to do with situations like that other than asking for assistance.  Reactions are different for noticeable/visible disabilities but I guess that is true for a number of people.

 

What he really needed was/is OT and VT but I have never been able to push that through in spite of his documented disabilities.  

 

I very much appreciate all the input on apps and tech, that gives me some ideas on how to make next year a little easier at home.  He uses LaTeX for math and science (actually he uses it for everything come to think of it), I am ready to look for something that is less cumbersome.

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