How to Select Toys for Special Needs Children
Looking for toys for children with special needs can be frustrating and overwhelming. It's hard to know if a toy is going to safe or appropriate for a child with a physical or developmental disability. This is a particular problem if you are buying toys for a child that is not your own. The spectrum of special needs is broad, including physical challenges, cognitive challenges, communication challenges and sensory challenges. It can be a struggle to match the right toys with the right children. Luckily, there are many toys available that are designed specifically for children with various types of special needs or can be adapted to work properly with some modifications.
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Instructions
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Talk to your child's doctor or therapist about what skills should be encouraged through play and what types of toys could be detrimental or inappropriate for your child. Physical and occupational therapists should be able to recommend some toys that your child will enjoy playing with and can help further their treatment program.
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Look for toy manufacturers that make toys specifically designed for your child's condition online, such as through DragonFlyToys.com (see Resources below). There aren't a lot of stores that cater to special needs toys, so the internet can be your best friend for this type of shopping.
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Assess the toy for safety. Look for parts that can be removed and pose a choking hazard, whether the toy can be cleaned and if the toy requires a certain amount of physical strength to use.
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Select toys that the child can easily operate but will still provide a challenge. Consider how the toy is activated and if it can be adjusted for difficulty among other things. The goal is to find a toy that will allow the child an opportunity for success without causing boredom.
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Use a product review website for toys for children with special needs to select toys that are categorized by your child's condition and evaluated on many levels. AblePlay is a website that rates toys for children with special needs and provides information about how to adapt toys in unconventional ways (see Resources below).
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Tips & Warnings
Select toys that can stand up to abuse so you don't have to keep replacing them when they break. You might have to spend a little more for durability, but in the long run it can save you money.
Choose toys that allow the child to fit in with other children. Toys that are modeled after popular books or movies will help promote interaction with other children and make the child feel like he belongs.
