Approximately every month WTTS receives a retail publication
which contains articles pertaining to all areas of the retail industry,
including a children's section called "Playthings." The most recent edition had a very
interesting article entitled "Learning Ability: Industry tips for Choosing
Toys for Children with Special Needs."
As we have had quite a number of customers specifically requesting
assistance in choosing a toy for a child with special needs, the most common
being autism, we thought it might be helpful to summarize and pass on a few of
these tips to our readers, to hopefully help assist and guide you on things to
keep in mind when trying to decide on an appropriate playtime activity for your
special needs child.
As with any other child, children with disabilities, no
matter what it is, still need to develop their basic skills. Below is a list of these and a few
suggestions of play items that may foster development in these areas.
1) Gross motor
skills: Bouncy balls, bikes, jump ropes, swings and slides.
2) Fine motor
skills: Blocks, finger paints, shape
sorters, crayons, musical instruments.
3) Language
skills: Anything that teaches shapes,
colors, numbers, letters, and sounds, dolls, talking toys.
4) Cognitive
skills: Puzzles, brainteasers, books,
board games.
5) Social
skills: Dress-up/role playing, anything
that encourages group play, such as family games.
The article stated that in terms of autistic children, items
with "visual cues" work well, such as toys that teach understanding
of expression and emotions. As an
example, we carry Expression Handle Stamps by Melissa & Doug, and I
Feel Stamps by Alex. We also carry
many items listed in the above basic skill categories such as blocks, art
supplies, books, and dress-up items, and would be more than happy to assist you
and make suggestions as to what might be an appropriate choice for your child.
With that being said, however, there is not a "one size
fits all" toy for children with special needs, as the severity spectrum
has such a wide range. A parent knows
their child and, of course, should buy what they feel the child might
enjoy. Also, the child's developmental
age versus chronological age should be a prime consideration.
According to the article, 1 in 20 children has a disability,
and because of this, more and more toy companies are including special needs
information on their websites and packaging.
If you are interested, you can check out some of the websites that were
listed in the article if you would like to learn more:
Thank you once again for visiting us, and the staff of WTTS
wish all of you a most wonderful November and upcoming Thanksgiving.
The above info is courtesy of Gifts and Decorative
Accessories, vol. 114, No. 8, "Learning Ability: Industry Tips for
Choosing Toys for Children with Special Needs," by Kristin Morency
Goldman.
*NOTE: These websites
contain guidelines specific to special needs children.
