Special needs · Dysgraphia

Show what they know without handwriting getting in the way

Pencil Spaces lets students with dysgraphia type, draw, talk or write by hand, with ruled paper, neat math notation and boards they never have to copy.

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Share it with your child’s tutor Teaching at home? Try it

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Area

Cognition and learning

Who it helps

Students with dysgraphia or handwriting difficulties, tutors, occupational therapists and families

What lessons need

Choice of how to respond, less copying, handwriting practice, time, structure for writing

In Pencil Spaces

7 features available today, 1 coming soon

Part of

Special needs, need by need

What do students with dysgraphia need from an online lesson?

Dysgraphia makes handwriting slow, tiring or hard to read, and it can make putting ideas into writing hard too. Online lessons help when the student can choose how to respond, copies less and still gets real handwriting practice.

Type instead of writeText · AvailableTyped text goes anywhere on the board and stays editable, so nobody has to handwrite to take part.
Handwriting, seen up closeDocument Camera · AvailableA document camera, a second webcam or an iPhone shows the student’s paper, so you can watch grip, letter formation and spacing as they write.
Handwriting practice with linesBoard Backgrounds · AvailableRuled or dotted paper gives handwriting a baseline, and you can make it the default for every board.
A stylus, not a mousePen & Touch · AvailableWrite and draw with a finger, a stylus or a Wacom pen, the way you would on paper.
Math without messy digitsEquation Editor · AvailableWrite math with LaTeX, a keyboard or freehand handwriting, and it appears as neat notation on the board.
Ideas before sentencesSticky Notes · AvailableStudents type one idea per sticky note, then move them into order before writing a paragraph.
Nothing to copyDownload Boards · AvailableThe board becomes the notes. Save it as an image to keep, so the student never copies from the screen.
Say it, then see itDictation · Coming soonDictation will let a student speak an answer and see it appear as text on the board.

The features behind it

Why can online lessons be hard for students with dysgraphia?

Most video lessons assume students will write: notes, answers in chat, work in a shared document. For a student with dysgraphia, the effort of forming letters leaves little room for thinking.

A mouse makes it worse. Drawing letters and numbers with a mouse is hard for every student, and nearly impossible for some.

What does a lesson look like in Pencil Spaces?

The tutor and student plan a story with sticky notes, one idea each, typed rather than written. They drag the notes into order.

Then the student writes three sentences by hand with a stylus on ruled paper. The board is saved, so nothing has to be copied out.

How do therapists use Pencil Spaces with students with dysgraphia?

Occupational therapists coach handwriting online by watching the student write on real paper through a document camera. They check grip, posture, letter formation and spacing as it happens.

Ruled and dotted board backgrounds give a baseline for practice with a stylus. Keyboarding practice fits on the same board, and saved boards make it easy to compare writing samples across weeks.

Tips for teaching students with dysgraphia online

Separate the thinking from the handwriting: plan out loud or with typed notes first.
Keep handwriting practice short and frequent, with clear lines to write on.
Give saved or printed notes rather than asking students to copy.
Accept typed answers whenever handwriting isn’t the skill being taught.
Check grip and posture on camera, with the family’s help.

Good to know

Dictation is coming soon. Until then, students who find typing and writing hard can answer out loud, and the tutor adds their words to the board.

Questions people ask

Can students type instead of writing in Pencil Spaces?

Yes. The Text tool puts typed text anywhere on the board, and sticky notes carry each student’s name, as do answers in chat. Typing, drawing and handwriting all count as taking part.

Can you practice handwriting online?

Yes. With a touchscreen, stylus or Wacom pen, students write on the board the way they would on paper. Ruled and dotted backgrounds give a baseline, and a document camera lets the tutor see handwriting on real paper too.

Is there speech-to-text in Pencil Spaces?

Dictation is coming soon. It will let a student speak an answer and see it appear as text on the board. Until then, students can answer out loud in the lesson and the tutor writes it down.

Do students need to take notes?

No. Boards stay in the Space between lessons and can be saved as an image, so the board becomes the notes. Lesson Summaries add a written recap with action items for the student and family.