A new study, conducted by researchers from Politecnico di Milano and the University of Insubria (Varese and Como), has been published in the journal PLOS Digital Health. The study involved over 700 children from primary and lower secondary schools. These students used a special tool called the THInkPen (Tele-Health Ink Pen) to complete two writing tasks from the Battery for the Clinical Assessment of Writing and Orthographic Skills (BVSCO-3), which is the most commonly used test in Italy for identifying writing-related learning difficulties, such as dysgraphia and dysorthography. The THInkPen is a sensorized pen that collects detailed data about the writing process, such as pressure applied to the paper, the smoothness of movement, the angle of the pen, and the frequency of signals sent by its sensors. Unlike other tools that require the use of tablets or digital screens, the THInkPen allows children to write on paper as they normally would, making it more natural and less intrusive. This feature makes it a more practical option for use in school settings. Using data from the THInkPen, researchers calculated digital indicators related to various aspects of writing. These indicators were then analyzed to see how well they correlated with the children’s clinical scores from the BVSCO-3 test. The study also used artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to model how these indicators change as children progress through school grades and to determine if they could be used to detect writing difficulties. The results showed strong and consistent relationships between the digital indicators and the clinical scores, confirming that the pen can accurately reflect writing performance. The study highlights the potential of the THInkPen to help schools identify writing difficulties early, which could reduce the burden on specialist services. With growing demand for Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry services, which often have long waiting lists, early identification of students who truly need clinical support becomes crucial. The THInkPen was originally developed for neurodegenerative disease screening but has since been adapted for neurodevelopmental assessments. Researchers hope that this tool will help schools better understand writing challenges and refer only those students who need specialized care.