As we continue to use this program, I am adding updates at the bottom of this post.
A few months ago, we wondered if our daughter might be showing some signs of dyslexia so we decided to get her tested. Nothing was conclusive when it came to dyslexia but the test results were surprising. Our second grader had a very high score in reading comprehension and vocabulary but she tested at Kindergarten levels in phonics. The proctor highly recommended we go back to using a basic phonics program. We left the meeting bewildered.
Our daughter reads both in English and French, with great fluency, intonation and rhythm. We didn’t understand how she could have tested so low, (one possible explanation is that she is bilingual and the tests didn’t account for this.) but we knew that a sure way to kill her joy of reading was to ask our 8 year old to go back to rote practice of her letters. There was no doubt she would resent it and me!
That very same evening, I happened to be scrolling my Facebook feed and came upon a glowing review of Touch Type Read and Spell, a program tailored to dyslexic kids, that teaches phonics and touch typing at the same time.
I knew my daughter was interested in learning how to type so I hoped this program would be ideal for “sneaking in” some phonics practice. Sure enough, when I asked her the next day, she couldn’t wait to start. The company agreed to set us up with a 3-month trial in exchange for our honest review.
To summarize in one sentence: Both my daughter and I LOVE Touch Type Read and Spell. Now allow me to expand.
You can use this Touch Type Read and Spell COUPON code: SRICHARDSON at check out or you can Click here for referral link* and get a 10% discount.
Touch Type Read and Spell is very easy to set up.
I created an account with a user name and password, downloaded the app on our ipad, paired our bluetooth external keyboard and clicked on the first lesson. DD immediately knew what she needed to do thanks to the audio and visual prompts on the screen.
You don’t have to use the app but we prefer it. The program is available on an internet browser as well.
Customer service is very responsive and I always heard back within 24 hours whenever I contacted them with questions.
Touch Type Read and Spell requires minimal supervision.
My daughter can now do her lesson without any help from me. She only has to open the app and click on Continue. The program remembers where we left off.
Touch Type Read and Spell doesn’t require a big time commitment.
A lesson can be completed in less than 10 minutes making it easy to do consistently which is the key to progress. It also keeps my daughter interested and never to the point where she gets frustrated or tired.
Touch Type Read and Spell works.
I can’t quite tell whether she’s made progress in phonics solely thanks to this program. We’re also doing a separate spelling program and as I mentioned in my introduction, our daughter already read beautifully and continues to. However, her typing skills are definitely improving. She was able to type proficiently on my neighbor’s laptop the other day when she was looking up a movie to watch. Her vocabulary is also growing as she encounter new words to type and keeps asking me for their definition.
Touch Type Read and Spell is fun to use.
My daughter loves it. (Anyone who homeschools knows, that is reason enough to stick with a program!)
She’s never once tried to get out of doing a lesson and she’s always excited to share her score/time at the end of a lesson.
When she knew the trial period was nearing its end, she expectantly asked me “Mommy, are you going to buy it?”. When I answered I would, she danced a happy dance.
She has reached module 25 in Level 2 and is still going strong. (There are 24 levels and 31 lessons/level so she’ll be busy for a while.) She feels very accomplished that some lessons now cover 5-word sentences instead of single words only. She doesn’t even know that she’s also learning phonics, spelling and reading skills and that’s exactly what I was hoping for.
Plus she recently found out that she could change the background color from blue to pink. Need I say more!
Touch Type Read and Spell is priced reasonably.
At the time of this writing, a monthly subscription is $14.99 or $10.94 if you choose the yearly subscription.
I did purchase a year-long subscription and we look forward to continuing with the program.
You can also use this Touch Type Read and Spell COUPON code: SRICHARDSON at check out for a 10% discount or you can Click here for referral link*
I highly recommend Touch Type Read and Spell. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.
UPDATE 2021-07-13: I’d like to share a very useful feature. If you’re going on a trip or want to take a break from the program, you can notify Touch Type Read and Spell and they will put your subscription on hold and extend it accordingly. We just put a hold during our summer break and will resume in August.
UPDATE 2020-02-20: We are going on two years using this program almost daily. My daughter has now graduated to use my Desktop computer with a full keyboard and her typing skills are great. Her spelling has improved tremendously and she learns new words all the time during the lesson. I know there are many features we haven’t even used yet and look forward to keeping this program as part of our homeschool curriculum.
UPDATE 03/31/2020: I have just discovered a new feature.
My daughter requested to work more independently and I was wondering how to achieve that with our complementary curriculum (All About Spelling) which requires dictation. TTRS to the rescue! I can add my own SUBJECT into the course and include any content I want my student to type. This is amazing! Here’s how to add a Subject in Touch Type Read and Spell.
- Log in as an admin via browser (not within the app).
- Click on SUBJECTS at the top of the screen.
- Create a module by adding lines of text then click Save
- Click on Add new subject, fill out details, then click on Create.
- Repeat these steps as needed to create more levels within a Subject.
TTRS will do the dictating so that she can work independently.
*I am an affiliate for Touch Type Read and Spell which means I earn a percentage of the first payment your make towards a subscription if you use my affiliate link to go to the site or the coupon code at checkout.
This is my honest review. We have paid full price for our own subscription since June 2018.
It’s so cool that you found this! And the pink background 🙂
This was a really helpful review — just signed up with TTRS and used your code. It worked, thanks!
Great! Thanks for commenting. If you have any issues make sure to reach out to TTRS vis their chat feature. Their customer service is great!
This review is exactly what I was looking for. I just signed up ! My son has dysgraphia and dyscalculia. Really hoping this program will help him gain some confidence in himself.
Thank you Felicity. Make sure to reach out to them if you need help. They are very responsive.
PS: my daughter sings the letters as she types the word and that seems to help her..