Special needs · Learning disabilities and SpLD
Lessons that work around the barrier and teach to the strength
Pencil Spaces helps tutors teach students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia online, with readable boards, neat math and no copying.
Free for 2 weeks on any paid plan. Card required. No charge when the trial ends.
Area
Cognition and learning
Who it helps
Students with specific learning disabilities, specialist tutors, learning support teachers, SENCOs and families
Also called
Specific learning disabilities, SLD (US, Canada) · specific learning difficulties, SpLD (UK, Ireland, Australia) · learning differences. In the UK, “learning disability” means an intellectual disability.
What lessons need
Readable text, multisensory teaching, small steps, extra time, ways to answer without writing
In Pencil Spaces
6 features available today, 1 coming soon
Part of
What do students with learning disabilities need from an online lesson?
A learning disability gets in the way of one skill, such as reading, writing or math. A good lesson takes the weight off that skill, so the student’s thinking can show.
- Text that’s easier to readDyslexia-Friendly Fonts · AvailableOpenDyslexic and other dyslexia-friendly fonts are in the board’s font menu, a quick change for students who struggle with print.
- Paper that suits the taskBoard Backgrounds · AvailableChoose ruled or grid paper and softer colors for each board.
- Math set out neatlyEquation Editor · AvailableType or handwrite a sum and it appears as neat notation, so layout errors don’t hide what a student knows.
- Type instead of writeText · AvailableStudents type answers on the board, so handwriting never gets in the way of showing what they know.
- Trace, circle and dragPen & Touch · AvailableStudents write and move things on the board by hand, with a stylus or a finger.
- Nothing to copy downLesson Summaries · AvailableA recap after each lesson, with a version for parents, replaces notes copied from the screen.
- Text read out loudRead Aloud · Coming soonRead Aloud will let a student click a block of text and hear it, so reading isn’t a gate to every other subject.
The features behind it
Why can online lessons be hard for students with learning disabilities?
Online lessons often lean on exactly the skill a student finds hardest. Slides full of small text, copied notes and typed chat all add load.
The student runs out of energy on reading or writing before the real work starts.
What does a lesson look like in Pencil Spaces?
A tutor opens a board on cream ruled paper with a dyslexia-friendly font. The student reads three words aloud, then drags letter cards into order to build them.
For math, the next board is grid paper. Each step stays on the board, so the student can see where the answer came from.
Tips for teaching students with learning disabilities online
- Teach one small step at a time, and revisit it often.
- Say it, show it and let the student do it.
- Give extra time without making a point of it.
- Accept spoken, typed or drawn answers.
- Share the board after the lesson, so nothing needs copying.
Good to know
Read Aloud and Dictation are coming soon. Pencil Spaces doesn’t screen for or diagnose learning disabilities.
Questions people ask
What counts as a learning disability?
In the US, a specific learning disability affects a skill such as reading (dyslexia), math (dyscalculia) or writing (dysgraphia). The UK and Australia call these specific learning difficulties, or SpLD. In the UK, “learning disability” means something different: an intellectual disability.
Can students with learning disabilities learn well online?
Yes, with the right lesson design. One-to-one and small-group lessons allow the pace, repetition and multisensory practice these students need. In Pencil Spaces, the board holds every step, and recordings let a student go back over an explanation.
Does Pencil Spaces support IEP accommodations?
Teachers apply accommodations today with tools such as dyslexia-friendly fonts, softer board colors, timers, recordings and typed answers. Accommodation Profiles, coming soon, will record each student’s accommodations once and apply them in every lesson.
Which page covers a specific learning disability?
Start with the page for the need: dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia or dyspraxia. Many students have more than one, and the pages link to each other.
Related needs
- Dyslexia
- Dyscalculia
- Dysgraphia
- Dyspraxia (DCD)
- Processing speed and working memory
- Intellectual disability and learning difficulties (MLD)
- Every special need
Related problems
- Hard to write math, code or text on screen
- “I’m just bad at this”
- Accommodations missing in the lesson
More for special education
See it in a live Space.
We’ll walk you through it, shaped around how you teach.
