Adjustable Writing Slant Boards: Special Needs Classrooms

Adjustable Writing Slant Boards: Special Needs Classrooms
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Adjustable writing slant boards are boards that you can keep on top of your work surface to help you read and write comfortably. It promotes better posture, and decreases the eye strain. Adjustable boards are recommended for everyone, but have a special importance for some children with special needs.

Adjustable Writing Slant Boards: Special Needs Children

Slant boards are very useful for children with special needs. They have an important role to play in the education of children with visual impairments, postural difficulties and attention deficits.

Visual impairment:

Slanting boards position the paper at an angle that is comfortable for the eye. Children who have decreased visual acuity, or field loss can see better on a slanting board. You may need to experiment with different angles to decide what will work best for the child.

While using a slant board with children with visual impairment, make sure you have light falling on the paper, so that the child can see well. You can use natural light or even a table lamp.

Benefits for children with postural difficulties:

Often, children with physical disabilities have poor posture. Activities in the classroom must be positioned in a way that will promote optimum posture. Moreover, most of the time a good posture will help the child to use his or her hands more easily. Good posture also prevents other back and spinal problems. It promotes a good breathing pattern. For all these reasons, a slant board should be used in the classroom. The slant board ensures that the child holds his or her neck straight and does not bend it down.

If a child also has difficulty in neck control, a chair with a head rest will help the child use the slanting board more easily. If a child has poor control of arms and hands, he might be able to write better on a straight table surface than a slant board. Make sure you try out both options and ask the child which works best for him or her.

Benefits for children with attention deficits:

Slant boards can also be used with children with attention deficits. Children with attention deficits find it difficult to concentrate when they are asked to share a large table with other children. In this situation, a slant board helps focus the attention of the child to the task that he or she is doing.

Different Types

Here are some models of adjustable writing slant boards special needs classrooms will find beneficial, along with links to their suppliers.

Visual Edge Slant Board:

This slant board is light weight and easy to use. It also has a whiteboard magnetic surface. The magnetic surface can be used to prevent pens from falling off, pr even holding paper. This slant board has an attached clip to hold paper. It is suitable for children who need to take their slant boards back and forth from school to home everyday. However it may be difficult to use for a child with poor hand functions.

Back Designs Slant Board:

This slant board is very durable and easy to carry. It it suitable for younger children. It also has a small ridge at the bottom to prevent papers from falling. It will be suitable for both reading and writing.

Flag house Slant Board:

This is a large sized slant board that is ideal for younger children and special classrooms. The only disadvantage is that it is too large to be carried home everyday.

Picture Credit:

Flag house/ https://www.flaghouse.com/Slant-Board-item-3920