Anyone struggle with typing & controllers?

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Hi,

I don't know if this is relevant to autism or if it's been brought up too many times, but I have always struggled with peripherals and wondered if other people do too.

I can't look at a monitor and type on a keyboard, I have to look at the keyboard and I see what I've written in my head. I type slowly and make a lot of typos. I also struggle with game controllers (I didn't grow up with them) and typing on my phone - Microsoft SwiftKey Keyboard helps a lot. Even on my phone I can only look at the keyboard, SwiftKey and suggested words give me an idea of what I've written and helps me finish longer lines of text.

The only exception is that I'm very good with painting and drawing with a tablet, mouse, touchpad and on regular paper - Probably because I have been drawing my whole life to help communicate (but mostly for fun).

Does that resonate with anyone? I have never met anyone who had the same difficulty. I don't find it that hard to overcome but anyone I've mentioned this to seems really puzzled by it.

Thanks!

I have problems with typing and using controllers. I don't have great fine motor skills and it makes me press the wrong keys/buttons all the time, it can get very irritating.

In Year 9 in school we had typing classes with electric typewriters. I should have learnt touch typing then. But I didn't care about school at the time so I failed that class.

Later on at school there was the option of taking computer classes but all the places for it were taken by the time I got around to choosing. Windows 95 came out the year after I left school.

A couple of years ago I went to college and completed Certificate III in IT.

To this day I still hunt and peck while I'm typing. There's heaps of tutorials online I could take to become better at typing but I can't be bothered! I'd do one if I got a job involving computers though.

I have poor motor skills but computer mouses helped my coordination a lot since they came out. I am left handed but can only use a mouse with my right hand (I cannot write a word with the right neither can I type using right hand only).

I still make numerous typos however. Also, when using mouse to transfer documents or files to other folders, I often seem to end up making endless copies instead.

I struggle with recalling temporary hotkeys and reaction time in coordination no matter the practice.


I rely on my muscle memory very much.
I can master some aspects with repetition and if it syncs to specific directions.

So whenever I type, it's more like a series of strokes per word instead of series of strokes per letter.
Therefore I will struggle with any unfamiliar word I encounter.


And I have my own limits.
First one is more of a processing speed into physical movements upper limit.
The limit is a little above average, but never seem to go beyond that without straining my hands.

The other limit is spatial.
Have my finger move a few cm to any direction, I'd end up with one error that will make more tens of typos and errors successively.

So I'd need a keyboard that will match my hand size.

And if I have to copy, I would need it leveled next to the screen.
Or it will have a lot of errors along the way if I have stop looking at the screen and keyboard.
Although this is more of a short term memory problem than a physical one.

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