Toys For Kids With Specific or Special Needs

When my youngest was a baby we observed a red flag--she lacked interest in toys. We had no clue yet that she had limited fine motor skills. Once she started occupational therapy at nine months old we began the search for toys that she could manipulate and that would provide her with stimulation.

This was not easy. I kept trying toys my other children liked. Nothing interested her.

But then she had an elongated stay in the hospital over the holidays. The unit had gifts for all of the children. After spending a considerable amount of time hanging out with our little girl, the child life specialist handed her a brightly wrapped present.

I feigned my optimism when I said, "What a perfect gift!" I tried not to insult her kind gesture, but I was discouraged.

Sitting on the edge of the hospital bed my husband carefully unwrapped the paper as I liked to recycle it for art projects if possible. Inside was a simple Little Tikes toy. It had a screwdriver, a saw and a hammer. If you turned a knob a certain way it made noises. Loud noises. The kind I normally detested. They did not bother me so much this time.

And then there was a second gift--a flashlight in the shape of a lion. Each time you turned it on it roared! It was louder than the first. There was no off switch.


I watched my daughter most of that afternoon trying to make the sounds of both of those toys go off. Late that same day I thanked the child life specialist and told her those were the first toys my daughter had any interest in. She went over to a table and picked up a brochure titled, "Toys R Us, toy guide for differently-abled kids," http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=3261681. I clenched on to it tightly.

During a quiet moment, I flipped through the pages of the catalog. At a time of desperation I felt as though someone had opened up a window and allowed in fresh, crisp air. We were trying so hard to find a diagnosis and help our child grow and develop. In an odd sort of way this retail catalog offered hope.

Since that time there are more catalogs, websites, and stores that reach out to children with special needs. Here are some that I use and others that I plan to soon.

http://www.autismshop.com/ One of my favorite stores to buy fidgets. They have an extensive offering of books that I have seen on Autism and related topics. This was the place I went when I bought our first Time Timer and supplies to make visual schedules. I also found little tins of Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty which I use as gifts.

http://www.creativekidstuff.com/autism.html Creative Kidstuff is one of my favorite toy stores of all time. The staff are helpful in trying to find a perfect gift for any child no matter what their physical abilities are or are not. For years the manager at the store closest to our house became my consultant in toy buying. Now I see that they have partnered with St. David's Center-Child & Family Development http://www.stdavidscenter.org/ to create guidelines for toy buying for children with special needs. Awesome! I'm actually proud of Creative Kidstuff.

http://sensoryuniversity.com/main.sc This site is new to me, but I can't wait to see what I can find in their catalog for my 10 and 15 year olds. My older daughter can benefit from items to help her posture and for focusing. They have some items here that I have not seen before! When you enter their website they have their products listed on the right hand side. I find this as an easy to read and well laid out directory to use.

http://www.onestepahead.com/custserv/shop_smarter_article.jsp?pageName=Best_Toys This site offers a nice explanation of developmental areas to focus on for ages birth to 36 months. I struggled a bit with the use of the term "best." I suggest focusing on what the suggested learning is like "goal oriented and problem solving play" instead. Great resource.

http://www.specialneedstoys.com/usa/ This is also a new site to me and can't wait to look more thoughtfully. I love that they have some adaptive gardening supplies. I see this in my 10 year old's future http://www.specialneedstoys.com/usa/gardening/1895-radius-garden-set.html. I like that they have a "teenage/adult" section. While some of their items are meant for clinics--you can tell by the cost--they do have a range of affordable items for home use.

Those experiences with the child life specialist during that difficult hospital stay gave me new energy to keep looking for toys that were enticing and fun. It still wasn't easy. But for her birthday that same year I found bristle blocks. We didn't really need other toys--at least for a few years!

If you have any other products, stores, or websites you frequent let us know!--Allyson

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