WOODEN SMART BOX

Abstract

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by an additional chromosome of number 21 which found in a child. The physical characteristics of children with Down syndrome are that they have a flat face, a small head. A short neck, eyes tilted upwards, weak muscles, and excessive flexibility. In addition, these children have health problems such as delays in development, and facing difficulty in learning and speaking. Therefore, this Wooden Smart Box is produced to help the early development of these children to learn and recognize basic things such as alphabets, shapes, colours as well as improve psychomotor skills more easily and fun. In addition, Wooden Smart Box can be also used as a place to store their personal belongings. The study began by identifying the problems faced by children with Down syndrome through a survey conducted on the teachers who care for and teach children, ranging age two to six years from Malaysian Down syndrome Association at Taman U Thant, Kuala Lumpur. Rubber wood is chosen as the prime material to produce the Wooden Smart Box according to the design. It is hoped that the Wooden Smart Box can grab the attention of children with Down syndrome to learn. In addition, the features of this product are harmless and also with variety of colours which will seek the children attention easily. The future improvement proposal for this Wooden Smart Box is by adding different types of games and utilizing sponges which also will be more convenient to use.