Special
Needs Toys
As the holidays approach many of
us are trekking to malls or online shopping looking
for the perfect gift for the spouse who has
everything, or the dad who is hard to please, even the
cousin that you are never sure what to get. In
the holiday spirit this month we are going to highlight some
websites that retail toys for children with special
needs.
Finding a toy that can be matched to a child's
ability, being appealing and fun can be challenging
not only for parents but family and friends as well.
Retailers of special needs toys primarily are selling
to parents, professionals, schools and programs and
may of the toys are designed to be used in therapeutic
play and rehabilitation. It doesn't mean they
can't also be a great holiday gift and in preparing
this article we have seen a lot of toys that look like
they're fun.
We are featuring three websites that are
representative of a number of sites and companies that
retail special needs toys. We are also including
links to more online retailers so that you have more
choices to investigate.
Most of the sites have their toys, games and
activities broken down by categories such as
'physical' 'cognitive' 'motor skills' 'verbal play'
non-verbal play' or even by
disability such as 'autism' or 'cerebral palsy,' for
example. At least one site offers reviews of
toys by purchasers.
Here is our disclaimer: we have not purchased
anything from any of the retailers listed and we are
not recommending any retailer or one retailer over
another including the three retailers that start the feature
below and you shop at your own risk. We are simply providing links to places
where you can shop and purchase special needs toys. As
with any online retailer you have to do a little
homework and see what their particular policies are as
to purchasing, delivery and returns, always comparison shop
for price and of course use
good judgment when shopping online.
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Fat Brain Toys
www.fatbraintoys.com
The name may be a bit misleading but Fat
Brain Toys is a retailer and developer of unique
specialty toys that entertain and educate. Most of
the products they carry are aimed at children with
average development and are , however, they have a separate
special needs section with toys geared toward children
with autism, brain injury and difficulties with fine and
gross motor control.
Fat
Brain Toys has two unique features the first is that
toys in their special needs section are selected by a 'special
needs advisory panel' and the individual toys contain
rated reviews by parents who have purchased particular
toys or games and this could be helpful in trying to
match up a toy or activity with a child.
The
Fat Brain Toys site utilizes security from, McAffee
and Geo Trust and has received an award from the Better
Business Bureau. They also have a brick and mortar
retail store in Nebraska. This is the only
retailer we have found that specifically specifically
targets special
needs toys to children with brain injury as a category.
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Playworks
www.playworks.net
Playworks is a California based retailer that
specializes in developmental toys but also has a
special needs section. One look at a Nobbly
Wobbly, and you'll want one for yourself, however,
these toys are aimed at parents and professionals with
specific focus on different areas such as distraction
toys, light up toys, sound toys, texture
toys, and others. Playworks offers toys with
universal design to maximize sensory awareness as well
as motor, language, and cognitive development among
children with diverse abilities.
These are not the traditional kinds of toys that you
would find under the Christmas tree but we are talking
about special needs children including kids with
profound disabilities. Playworks also carries Braille
toys, cognitive toys as well as toys that can help
with motor skills and dexterity.
Like the other sites we are presenting; you can order
online from Playworks and they also utilize secure transactions
and are McAfee tested. All of these toys look
like a lot of fun. Who wouldn't want to spin
around and around on a Bilibo - what's a Bilibo?
Pay a visit to Playworks and you'll find out.
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FlagHouse
www.flaghouse.com
FlagHouse has been around for decades. They specialize in products
for physical education, rehabilitation, adaptive products, durable
medical equipment, and they also retail toys for special needs children.
Their toys are not separated by category of level of functioning but you
will have fun shopping the pages on the FlagHouse site. We
included FlagHouse because they have a large selection of adaptive recreation
items such as playground sets, and trikes as well as sensory related
items.
There is a large selection to choose from on the FlagHouse site and like
other good retailers they have secure ordering and security from Comodo
with hacker testing.
More Retailers
Below is a list of other online retailers who essentially offer the same
kinds of toys for special needs children - there are other retailers
besides these - we tried to include a cross sections of retailers we found
while researching this article. A Google search will bring you
even more.
| eSpecialNeeds
- Besides special needs toys
they carry rainy day indoor playground equipment and
other
therapeutic and rehabilitation products. |
| Bee
Able Toys - They also carry arts and crafts,
doll houses, puppets bath toys, and plush toys. |
| Dragon
Fly - Universal access adaptive computer games
for PC and Mac. This site has hundreds of
product reviews archived for toys no longer
stocked. |
| Phunezone
- Most of the products are not special needs,
however, they carry step and walking trainers and
other specialized products as well as interactive
touch screens. |
| Toys
4 Minds - Educational and special needs toys. |
| NewHorizon
Toys - Besides special needs toys they also
carry FunSlides carpet skates. |
| Funtastic
Learning Toys - Developmental toys for
children with special needs. |
| Fun
and Function - Creative therapy toys. |
| Silly
Goose Toys - Carries musical, life skills and
social skills toys. |
| Dolan
Gift Company/Dandy Lion - Specializes in early
developmental products. |
| ebeanstalk
- Toys for children with developmental delays. |
| KidScope
Toys - Autism and therapeutic toys |
| Discovery
Toys - Specializes in toys for children with
autism. |
| Pal
Toys - Carries special needs toys for babies
and up. |
| B
independent - Carries dolls by ethnicity along
with special needs accessories such as
wheelchairs, crutches, leg braces, hearing aids
and others along the lines of Build-a-Bear
Workshops. |
| Toys
"R" Us - Toy Guide for Differently
Abled Kids. |
| Toys
"R" Us - Differently Abled Kids
Learning Toys. |
| Sense
Toys - Educational and special needs toys. |
| Kids
Like Me - UK retailer of special needs toys. |
| TFH
- UK retailer of special needs toys also carries
music toys. |
| Toys
to You - Another UK retailer. Carries
toys for babies. |
| Rifton
- Play equipment for children with special needs. |
| Soft
Touch - Software and computer programs for
children with special needs. |
| Target
- Not an overwhelming selection of special needs
toys, however they carry asthma-friendly plush
toys which we have not seen elsewhere. |
| Silly
Ass Toys - Name aside they have some unique
toys, however, the special needs items are mixed
in with regular toys - but it is fun to wade through
this site just to see some of the original toys
they carry. It's worth the visit alone to
see the 'Cockroach Horror Ball' or 'Yicky Icky
Eyeballs.' |
| eBay
- You can find a lot of new items by doing specific
searches such as "special needs toys,"
"sensory toys," "fine (or gross)
motor skills," and other terms. If you
have never shopped on eBay before you may want to
refer to these guides: Bidding
on eBay: Do Your Research First, Tips
for Buying on eBay, eBay
Security Center: Buying Safely. |
| Enabling
Devices - Adaptive toys and switched and
mounting devices. |
| Blind
Mice Mart - Toys and games for children with
visual impairment. |
| Tash
Products - Adaptive switches and mounting
devices. |
Down
Syndrome Dolls
Over the summer in 2008, there were a number of newspaper articles about
companies that make dolls for Down Syndrome children that attempt to incorporate
the physical features of children from this group.
On the surface this seems like a reasonable idea and harkens back to the
"Becky" doll which came out in 1997 and was one of the first dolls of
a person with a disability and Becky even had her own wheelchair (and was very
popular). The thought is a child may identify more with a doll
that is like they are.
Given the precedent mentioned above, Down Syndrome dolls would appear to
make a good present, however, opinions are clearly divided and sometimes
heated.
Some parents like the dolls and others clearly do
not.
Many of the complaints are that some of the dolls have
features such as a protruding tongue that are not common to all children
with Down Syndrome. Others worry about stereotyping the children further.
This can be an emotional issue for parents and family members.
Since the opinion of these dolls is split we present links to sites that retail these dolls along with newspaper articles,
and blog and message board posts that show opinions on either side, so you can decide
for yourself if this is an option or something you do not agree with and
will avoid. If you are a relative or friend of a family with a
Down Syndrome child you probably want to check with the parents to see
if this is a welcomed option as a gift.
Information
The following are links to websites and articles that provide further
information on many of the special needs toys that are being sold.
Happy shopping for that special child and happy holidays!
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Disclaimer:
Reference in this web site to any specific
organizations, commercial products, process, service,
manufacturer, or company does not constitute its
endorsement or recommendation by Northeast Center for
Special Care.
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