According to official figures, 8% of children are affected by a DYS disorder.
These specific language and learning disorders (SLLD) can make certain tasks very challenging for children. Homework time then becomes a source of tension in the family, as neurodivergent children tire quickly.
An unsuitable workspace can increase this cognitive overload. Too many distractions, uncomfortable furniture, or poor lighting are all factors that hinder concentration.
How can you set up a desk adapted for a child with DYS? In this comprehensive guide, we explain how to choose ergonomic furniture, optimize storage, and encourage an active posture to facilitate learning for DYS children.
What are DYS disorders?
DYS disorders are specific language and learning disorders (SLLD) that affect certain cognitive functions, such as:
- Memory
- Attention
- Motor coordination
- Language
- Reading
- Writing
These neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) appear in childhood and have no connection with intelligence.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a reading disorder.
A dyslexic child has difficulty decoding written language and distinguishing word sounds. They may make errors in letter identification and experience auditory or visual confusion.
Dysorthographia
Dysorthographia is a disorder that affects writing.
A dysorthographic child has difficulty with written production. Spelling, grammar, punctuation, as well as the organization and coherence of written ideas can be problematic for them.
Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is a disorder of the writing movement.
The writing of a dysgraphic child is often slow, difficult to read, and effortful.
Dyspraxia
Dyspraxia is a developmental coordination disorder.
A dyspraxic child has difficulty planning and coordinating their movements, which can impact writing and fine motor skills.
Why is the work environment crucial for a DYS child?
DYS disorders make certain school tasks more challenging
For a child with one or more DYS disorders, such as dyspraxia or dyslexia, certain school tasks become very demanding, such as reading, writing, coordinating movements, organizing ideas, or switching between tasks.
An unsuitable environment increases unnecessary distractions
Given the difficulties DYS brains have in filtering information, an unsuitable environment can quickly lead to cognitive overload for a neurodivergent child:
- Too much noise diverts attention.
- Visual clutter disrupts concentration.
- An uncomfortable chair creates discomfort.
- The constant search for materials causes mental fatigue.
Each distraction represents an additional difficulty for a child with a DYS disorder.
Reduce constraints to free up attention
Even if they seem harmless to neurotypical individuals, multiple distractions can disrupt the concentration of a DYS child. Reducing unnecessary obstacles in your child's workspace frees up their attention and promotes concentration.
The 7 essential points for a desk adapted for a DYS child
Choose a quiet location
It is recommended to choose a location far from distractions to set up a homework corner for a child. This criterion is even more important if your child has a DYS disorder, as they need calm to concentrate and focus their attention on their homework.
A scientific study demonstrates that noise pollution in a classroom has a negative impact on children's performance, memory, motivation, and leads to reading difficulties.
If, despite your precautions, the house is still too noisy, wearing noise-canceling headphones can help your child enter "their bubble of concentration" by reducing the impact of noise pollution.
Playing white noise or soft instrumental music in your child's room can also improve auditory comfort.
Finally, during homework time, ensure the house remains quiet to facilitate your children's work.
Limit visual distractions
Scientific literature shows that an overly stimulating visual environment distracts children and disrupts learning.
A DYS child tends to be drawn to information present in their field of vision. A room cluttered with toys, supplies, or books forces your child to constantly sort the information around them.
To be able to concentrate, your child needs a clean workspace.
The less clutter around them, the more your child maintains their attention on their homework.
Organize materials to avoid unnecessary movements
The organization of a DYS child's desk should be simple and visual. Deep drawers or bins should be avoided, as everything gets mixed up inside them.
Access to materials for a DYS child can, for example, be facilitated with transparent boxes, labeled bins, or a color code by subject.
These few good practices provide reference points for your child. Since every object has its place, they no longer waste time searching for their things.
Provide good lighting
The desk lighting plays a major role in the working comfort of a child with a DYS disorder.
Natural light should be prioritized and combined with an adjustable desk lamp.
To optimize the working conditions of a DYS child, choose a soft, warm light preferably, and place the lamp on the opposite side of the writing hand to avoid shadows.
By following these recommendations, you offer your child reading comfort, essential for preventing eye strain.
Adjust desk height
Poor desk ergonomics for your child can lead to a strained posture. If the desk surface is too high, the shoulders rise; if it's too low, the child adopts a compensatory posture with a hunched back and head tilted forward.
In the long term, muscle tension can appear, especially in the neck, shoulders, and back.
Consequently, the furniture in neurotypical children's workspaces must combine comfort and functionality to encourage motivation and promote learning.
Promote a comfortable posture
For some children with a DYS disorder, particularly dyspraxia, holding a fixed sitting position for long minutes requires a lot of effort.
An ergonomic desk is essential for a DYS child. It promotes postural comfort and allows for regular changes in position.
A Belgian study demonstrated the influence of optimized sitting position on children's cognitive abilities.
Encourage movement rather than immobility
Does your child roll around on the sofa while reciting their multiplication tables? Do they squirm in their chair during a math exercise? Do they regularly get up between two lessons they need to learn?
While this motor restlessness may seem like impatience, it can actually promote learning. Also known as fidgeting or stimming, micromovements and repetitive gestures stimulate proprioception, which is the ability to perceive one's body in space.
It has been scientifically proven that movement and stimulation of the vestibular system are beneficial for learning because they allow:
- To improve concentration
- To stay awake during a monotonous task
- To reduce stress
- To release excess energy
Hence the importance of allowing slight movements and encouraging an active posture during your child's homework to make this time more pleasant and productive.
Why choose active furniture over traditional ergonomics?
Why can staying still for a long time be difficult for some children?
If your child keeps moving during homework, do not force them into immobility. Staying still for long minutes can be very costly for a child, especially if they have a DYS disorder.
A neurodivergent child can monopolize a large part of their energy and cognitive resources to maintain a static sitting position that ultimately exhausts them.
A saturated working memory is then no longer available to perform the current task, and homework becomes a real ordeal, both for them and for their parents.
Limitations of traditional chairs and desks
On a traditional office chair, the famous "90° rule" (straight back, flat feet, knees at right angles) is theoretically the ideal posture to adopt.
In practice, holding this posture for a long time is exhausting. It requires a significant conscious core effort, which can be almost impossible for dyspraxic children (often hypotonic) to maintain.
Benefits of active furniture for DYS children
On the other hand, if you arrange your DYS child's workspace with active furniture, you offer them the freedom of movement beneficial to their learning process.
Children are full of energy, and forcing them to sit still to do homework after school is sometimes an impossible mission. For neurodivergent profiles, the need to move is even more vital as it constitutes a reflex for sensory self-regulation.
A systematic review illustrates the benefits of active furniture for children. Through the micromovements and changes in position it entails, active furniture proves effective in anchoring attention.
For example, you can invest in:
A sit-stand desk for children
Thanks to the adjustable height of the tabletop, a sit-stand desk allows you to choose the position in which to work.
A desk treadmill
A treadmill is ideal for active homework sessions. Reciting tables while walking is much more motivating.
An active footrest
The oscillating surface of the active footrest encourages foot and leg movement.
An ergonomic stool
With its unstable base, the ergonomic stool promotes pelvic mobility and engages deep muscles.
A children's balance ball chair
By promoting an active posture, the balance ball chair avoids a static sitting position and offers your child the possibility to move. The micromovements necessary to adjust their balance engage deep muscles and improve postural comfort.
What furniture to choose for setting up a desk area for a DYS child?
Appropriate furniture is essential for the successful arrangement of a DYS child's desk area. A guarantee of comfort and well-being, your child's desk must offer the best working conditions to be effective.
Which DYS desk to choose?
A desk for a DYS child must be adapted to the child's body shape, while offering a functional workspace to facilitate its use.
Neither too high nor too low, the desk at the right height should allow your child to maintain good posture with:
- Feet resting completely on the floor (or on a footrest)
- Knees forming a right angle
- Forearms naturally placed on the desktop
- Relaxed shoulders
What desk dimensions should you choose?
Height
Choose a desk height based on your child's height.
The NF EN 1729 standard, which serves as a reference for schools, establishes the following recommendations:
- For kindergarten students: a table height of between 40 cm and 52 cm
- From 6 to 8 years old: a desk height of between 52 cm and 58 cm
- Between 8 and 14 years old: a height of between 64 cm and 70 cm
- From 14 years old: the child can use an adult desk with a height of 76 cm.
Avoid an adult desk, which may be too large for a child under 1.50 m.
Depth
The desktop should provide enough space for notebooks and other supplies. However, since only essential items should be visible on neurodivergent children's desks, avoid overly large surfaces that encourage clutter.
Before the age of 6, the desk depth should not exceed 50 cm. From the age of 6, it is possible to use a desk with a 60 cm deep top.
What features for a DYS child's desk?
If you want to invest for the long term, opt for an evolving desk that adapts to your child's growth thanks to its adjustable height.
In addition to being adapted to the child's size and body shape, a DYS desk must meet certain criteria such as:
- Sufficient clear space on the desktop for writing, drawing, reading, etc.
- The stability of the desk to allow free leaning
- Furniture that is easy to organize, with accessible storage, preferably drawers, essential for a dyspraxic child's desk
- The possibility of adding ergonomic accessories
Here's a summary to help you choose the right desk for your child:
|
Depth |
50 cm for children under 6 |
|
Height |
To be adapted according to the child's height |
|
Desktop surface |
Minimum 80 x 50 cm |
|
Stability |
Stable and robust structure |
Which chair to choose for a DYS child?
Why is the chair as important as the desk?
Between school, homework, and creative activities, a child spends a lot of time sitting during the day.
The chair is only part of the equation when setting up a DYS child's workspace. Nevertheless, an uncomfortable seat is an additional source of distraction.
For home, it is important to choose an office chair for your child that provides them with lasting comfort and promotes a natural posture to increase their cognitive availability.
Criteria for a good DYS chair
Height
Just like desk dimensions, the height of your child's chair should encourage good posture. To do this, it is recommended to respect the following standardized dimensions:
- In kindergarten: between 20 cm and 26 cm
- Between 6 and 8 years old: a chair height of 26 cm to 35 cm for children measuring 108 to 133 cm
- From 8 to 14 years old: the seat height should be between 35 cm and 43 cm
- Beyond 14 years old: 46 cm
Stable seating without restricting movement
The stability of an office chair is essential. However, it should not be completely rigid so as to allow for movement and changes in position.
In summary, the criteria to consider when choosing a DYS office chair are:
|
Dimensions |
Seat height to be adjusted according to the child's size |
|
Comfort |
A seat that offers postural comfort for working without pressure or pain |
|
Stability |
Stable and secure seating |
|
Dynamic |
Seating that incorporates movement and allows for position changes |
Bloon Kids: dynamic seating designed for all children
Bloon Kids are exercise ball chairs suitable for children aged approximately 8 to 15, measuring between 130 and 150 cm.
Thanks to its weighted base, the Bloon ball does not roll across the room and provides more comfort than a traditional Swiss Ball.
The controlled instability of the exercise ball encourages micro-movements to maintain balance. In this dynamic posture, the child works on their proprioception and stimulates their vestibular system, activating blood circulation and improving oxygenation.
These mechanisms help keep the brain alert, which is particularly effective for improving concentration and regulating attention in a DYS child.
The icing on the cake: the trendy design of Bloon ball chairs adds a decorative touch to your child's room.
How to integrate a ball chair into the habits of a DYS child?
Start gradually
Like any new ergonomic equipment, the Bloon ball chair requires an adaptation period before getting familiar with its dynamic seating.
To start, use the exercise ball for short periods. Generally, 10 to 20 minutes are sufficient.
Alternate positions
The advantage of the Bloon ball chair is that it allows for regular changes in position.
Invite your child to alternate their support leg, make pelvic rotations, lift one foot, then the other.
Remember that movement can promote concentration in DYS children rather than increase distractions.
Use Bloon for different daily moments
In addition to homework time, the exercise ball can also be used at different times of your child's day. Board games, drawing, creative workshops, video game sessions are all opportunities to integrate the Bloon Kids ball into daily life.
Arranging the workspace according to the child's DYS disorder
Ergonomics of movement for dyspraxia and dysgraphia
For dyspraxic or dysgraphic children, writing requires significant effort.
Setting up the desk with a slightly inclined work surface can help to relieve pain and guide movement. Ensure that the desk surface is always clear and that accessories and supplies are well organized.
Certain tools can also make a difference and improve the writing comfort of a dysgraphic child, such as:
- Ergonomic pencils or pens (with finger guides)
- Rulers with non-slip handles
Visual ergonomics for dyslexia and dysorthography
Visual stimuli are a source of cognitive overload for dyslexic or dysorthographic children.
Here are some simple tips to implement:
- Organize and declutter the workspace as much as possible. Only keep necessary items within reach. The more uncluttered your DYS child's work environment is, the more it promotes concentration.
- Adopt a color code for each subject: yellow for math, red for French, etc.
- Stick labels or pictograms on storage bins to clearly identify their contents.
- Use transparent boxes where the contents remain visible.
- Install a plain desk pad on the work surface to avoid eye strain.
- Use visual cues, such as timers, to improve time management.
What if your child also has ADHD?
It is common for a DYS child to also have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In this case, homework area adjustments may be necessary to encourage their work.
Neurodivergent children are highly distractible. They therefore need a quiet place to work, with minimal visual and auditory stimuli.
Setting up a workspace for an ADHD child requires much the same adjustments as for DYS children, such as:
- An ergonomic, uncluttered, and well-organized desk
- A calming environment
- Optimized lighting management
- An ADHD-adapted chair like dynamic seating to incorporate movement during the child's homework and meet their need to move, which is beneficial for stimulating their cognitive functions.
To promote their cognitive functions, also consider visual timers to facilitate the notion of time, breaking down tasks to progress gradually without pressure, and offering them regular active breaks, which are particularly effective for releasing excess energy.
Common mistakes in setting up a DYS desk
Setting up a DYS child's desk is based on simple and logical principles: a clear space, accessible storage, ergonomic furniture adapted to their size.
However, the following errors are common:
- Choosing furniture based solely on aesthetic criteria, forgetting practical aspects and comfort.
- Installing a desk that is too large in your child's room. In addition to unnecessarily cluttering the room, dimensions not adapted to your child's body shape increase the risk of muscle fatigue.
- Opting for an adult chair presents the same problems as an oversized desk, compromising postural comfort.
- The lack of storage can really hinder the organization of your child's workspace.
- An overloaded desk is often poorly organized. Too many visible objects represent as many distractions for a DYS child who struggles to stay focused. This lack of clear reference points leads to a considerable waste of time, in addition to generating fatigue and stress. Decluttering the homework area is fundamental to promoting concentration;
- The absence of breaks is detrimental for a child with a DYS disorder. Since their attention span is limited, breaks during homework time are necessary to "recharge their batteries."
- Neglecting the lighting in a DYS child's room increases the risk of eye strain.
- Forcing a DYS child to maintain a fixed position for an hour is totally counterproductive. On the contrary, by respecting their need to move and incorporating more movement during homework time, you help keep their brain alert.
Conclusion
The ideal desk for a DYS child is one that meets their needs, both in terms of postural comfort and ergonomics, and organization.
However, to improve concentration and promote learning, other key elements must be taken into account: limiting distractions, choosing good lighting, and above all, not forcing a neuroatypical child to remain still.
This is what Bloon Kids exercise ball chairs offer. With their unstable base, they require constant micro-movements to maintain balance. Dynamic seating is an asset that allows for combining the desire to move with the pleasure of learning.
FAQ: DYS child desk
How to set up a workspace for a DYS child?
Prioritize a quiet and bright place to set up your DYS child's desk. Adapt the furniture to the child's size, favoring dynamic seating to respect their need to move. Keep only essential items on the desk and declutter the homework area to limit visual distractions. Finally, storage should allow for quick access to materials.
How to organize a homework area without distracting the child?
Limit noise, but also visible objects in the DYS child's workspace. Store and classify supplies and materials with simple visual cues (colors, pictograms, etc.). The goal is to create a clutter-free and tidy homework area that reduces mental load.
Which desk to choose for a DYS child?
The best desk for a DYS child is one that is adapted to their body shape and provides postural comfort with: feet flat on the floor, straight back and head, relaxed shoulders. Evolving desk models are particularly interesting. Thanks to their adjustable tabletop height, they can keep pace with the child's growth.
How to help a child with dyspraxia with homework?
Dyspraxia is a disorder that causes difficulties in coordinating movements, such as writing. Breaking homework time into smaller chunks and including breaks can relieve a child with dyspraxia. To limit motor constraints, adapted equipment may be necessary, such as an inclined work surface, ergonomic pens with finger rests, etc.
What accessories are really useful for children with DYS disorders?
To make homework easier for a child with a DYS disorder, several accessories can be used depending on the specific disorder: an inclined plane, a non-slip ruler, an ergonomic pen with finger rests, a visual timer, noise-canceling headphones, a Bloon Kids balance ball chair...