Typing tutor *without* a wpm count?

July 30, 2023 12:00 PM

For my anxious, autistic kid, I'm looking for a downloadable software program that teaches/practices typing but does *not* display a words-per-minute counter.

My 7-year-old kid is an AuDHD PDAer with dyspraxia and anxiety. He enjoys math, reading, and using his laptop, but has some physical difficulty with writing owing to his dyspraxia. His psychologist recommended a typing tutor as a way for him to be able to write, and also serve as a form of OT.

He tends to get dysregulated by time pressure and so I'm looking for a typing tutor that does *not* display the words per minute (and is preferably calm and not bouncy/crufty/excessively gamified).

Preferably seeking a download rather than online software, for a MS-Windows PC. Any suggestions appreciated!

posted by splitpeasoup to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

Monkeytype.com does not show a wpm meter while you are typing-- it just shows your results when you are finished. It is a pretty chill and minimal experience. Would that be OK? It is mildly customizable. It's not a download, though.

I suspect Typio does the same thing-- results are only posted after you complete the lesson. But I haven't tried it myself.

I'm watching this question with great interest!
posted by blnkfrnk at 12:32 PM on July 30, 2023

As a former kid who was likely undiagnosed AuDHD PDA, I couldn't bear typing tutors because I couldn't see the point of typing "fad" and "Akkad" repeatedly. I retyped scenes from books I loved as a way of interacting with the material. I imagined that I was the author dreaming it up for the first time, writing it one way, then backspacing and revising it to say what ended up in the published book. book holder for typing
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 12:49 PM on July 30, 2023

I think I probably get where you're coming from in looking for typing that is isn't scored or gamified (my kids despise that with fire). Honestly we never did find a typing tutor that worked. But typing for their own reasons - Scratch programming - was more useful
posted by away for regrooving at 1:25 AM on July 31, 2023

There’s this previous question if helpful: https://ask.metafilter.com/353373/ASDF-JKL
posted by eyeball at 8:18 AM on July 31, 2023

Since there aren't a lot of answers yet, here's one that doesn't quite fit what you asked for: if you find an online one that you like except for how it displays wpm, you can probably use an element blocker (like the one that's built in to the adblocker ublock origin, but there are others) to just get rid of it and any other crufty elements. There are also ways to turn a website into something that acts more like installed software.
posted by trig at 12:22 AM on August 1, 2023