What technologies can help a high school student with dysgraphia in science and math classes?

The writing involved in science and math classes can be challenging for a student with dysgraphia. Formulas and equations must be written down precisely to avoid errors, and drawing accurate diagrams can be a painstaking process. Additionally, if students are required to write observations in science journals during labs, a laptop with voice recognition software may not always be practical. If the difficulty with writing in journals is due to the student not being able to safely use their Alphasmart/laptop (e.g., when doing labs where spills or safety could be an issue) to take notes, you may consider allowing the student to take voice notes using a digital voice recorder(opens in a new window). Current models are inexpensive and small enough to fit in a pocket. The students can easily voice their observations and use the audio file to generate typed notes later. If students are able to draw diagrams and graphs but struggle with writing lengthier notes, they may do well with a Smartpen(opens in a new window), allowing them to combine audio notes with their drawings and graphics.

Finally, for more complex tasks in both math and science, you may want to investigate software that allows the user to generate mathematical and chemical equations, graphs, and diagrams. One possibility is the math and science software from Efofex(opens in a new window), with math and science programs for drawing diagrams, graphs, and generating equations. Efofex also has a program for students with disabilities(opens in a new window), providing students with a free 10-year personal subscription to the software, allowing them to use it both at home and school. Another possibility for math classes is MathType(opens in a new window), which allows students to enter math by hand (using handwriting recognition; Windows only) and create equations using templates, keyboard shortcuts, or copying and pasting from other applications (such as Wikipedia). Microsoft Word and Excel also feature a built-in program, Equation Editor(opens in a new window), which would allow your student to create and enter mathematical equations into a document. This may be helpful for writing and creating math journals. Although the program is not as full-featured as some other software programs currently available, it may be an ideal solution depending on the math content.