Copying from the board

The student falls behind copying from the board, loses their place, or copies with errors that do not appear in near work.

• Copying is a near-far shifting task layered on top of memory and motor output — name which part is failing.
• Compare board copying with copying from a page at the desk. If desk copying is clean, the shift is the cost.
• Count how many characters the student holds per look-up; a very small chunk suggests visual memory load.

• Level 2: Visual Efficiency

  Accommodative and vergence shifting between distances.

• Level 3: Visual Processing

  Visual memory span determines chunk size per glance.

• Level 1: Visual Access

  Distance acuity or board contrast may simply be insufficient.

Nothing tagged for this step yet.

Nothing tagged for this step yet.

• Provide a desk copy; reserve board copying for practice, not for content delivery.
• Photograph the board and share it, or leave the board up longer.
• Seat the student where the viewing angle and glare are best, and check it at different times of day.

• Near-far games at home — read a word close, then find it across the room.
• Ask the child what the board looks like; their description is clinical data.

• Characters copied accurately per minute from distance.
• Number of look-ups needed per line.

Re-screen the limiting level after 6–8 weeks of consistent intervention. If the occupational problem has not changed while the contributing level has, look upstream for a different limiting factor. If neither has changed, or symptoms are worsening, refer out rather than continuing to treat.