Summary Conventional methods for the teaching of writing and drawing skills among the handicapped are highly teacher‐intensive. This paper describes an electronic drawing aid which, after an initial teaching session, may be used by an unsupervised patient to develop his drawing and writing capabilities. A major feature of the system is its flexibility in that its performance may be tailored to the needs of any particular patient, in terms of both the degree of complexity of a required drawing and in the level of ability required by the patient to reach a desired level of attainment. Copyright © 1978, Wiley Blackwell. All rights reserved