The Wonders of a Dry Erase Board!

While I find technology useful, low-tech helps are great too, especially ones that are inexpensive. One is our portable dry-erase board. Some autistic children struggle with the smell of the markers, but not Pamela. During their free time, both children enjoy drawing pictures on this board. I have used it in many ways:

• Beginner writers find writing on a vertical plane much easier. I started my children with a dry erase board mounted on the refrigerators with magnets.
• In Handwriting without Tears, a dry erase board worked better than a handheld slate, which broke! Some kids dislike the feeling of chalk dust, and they avoid fingernails scratching on a slate.
• When we first introduced narration, I wrote keywords and character names to which the children might want to pay attention. As each child narrated a keyword, I recorded a brief summary to give Pamela visual reinforcement.
• We recorded the schedule for the day on the dry erase board. If we were out and about, it was easier to carry and harder to lose than handwritten notes. If our plans changed, we updated it on the board.
• When Pamela did not understand the need for whispering in a group setting, we would "talk" by writing on the dry erase board. She also quietly entertained herself with it.
• Pamela has to copy questions and sentences in cursive for speech therapy (the association method). I write them on a dry erase board to avoid wasting paper.
• You can document any work done on a dry erase by taking photographs as I did in the following picture:

For my college-bound child, I have the dry erase board helpful in teaching him to take notes. As we read through his biology book, he tells me what notes to write. After we fill up a board with notes, he copies them down to simulate taking notes during class lectures. Pictured below are two boards of notes on the parts of the cell.

The most recent really cool, life-saving, self-help, low-tech tip came from my email list, Aut-2B-Home. One mother solved the problem of missing spots during tooth brushing by rinsing with Listerine Agent Cool Blue Mouthwash as directed. The rinse reveals the presence of plaque much like those pink, chewable tables did for me in school when I was a little girl. This visual cueing solved Pamela’s spotty tooth brushing habits overnight!