Toys for Children with Special Needs

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 17% of U.S. children ages 18 years and younger have a developmental disability. Play has an important role in the growth and development of children of all abilities, but it is particularly valuable for children with special needs. Through play children with special needs develop cognitive, motor, and social skills in a fun and engaging way.

Pediatric physical therapists help families set goals and develop strategies and ideas for play that focuses on the abilities of the child and the ways families can engage in play together. Choosing the right toy is a good place to start. Pediatric physical therapists recommend toys that promote physical, cognitive, or social development.

Move Forward Radio

Mothers Ellen Seidman and Jennifer Byde Myers discuss their experiences raising children with special needs, including the role of physical therapy in their children's development, a physical therapist provides additional advice, and the panel weighs in with toy buying tips for the holidays. Listen online or download the podcast.

Selecting Toys for Children With Developmental Disabilities

First, identify the child's play capability and consider his or her individual needs. Second, consider the skills that a toy can help expand or develop.

The following tips are not all inclusive, but provide guidance on several popular conditions:

For children who have difficulty communicating as a result of autism:

Select toys that encourage repetition of movements, have purpose, and promote activities that use both sides of the body together. Toys should not be battery operated or include lights or electronic sounds. Examples include:

Bold wooden toys

• Puzzles (promote fine motor skills, communication and problem solving)
• Blocks (all sizes and shapes for problem solving, manipulation, and squatting to floor to pick up)
• Nesting blocks, cardboard bricks, or textured blocks

Picture cards and story books

• Activity cards/mats (help with cooperative plan and communication through movement)
• Ready, Set, Move™ Activity Set
• Social Stories™ (books that require you to act out movements while learning social expectations and communication techniques)

Toys that encourage repetition of activities

• Shape sorters, peg boards, Light-Brite™ (assist with fine motor skills and sitting balance)
• Higher-level cards with pieces to form a shape (help develop fine motor skills, problem solving, and communication)
• Lego® or other types of toys that require building and manipulation of objects to create things (encourage development of gross and fine motor skills and communication techniques)
• Plastic containers filled with everyday, household items, such as utensils to imitate cooking
• Aqua Sand (encourages pouring, dumping, scooping, squatting, sequencing, and choices of color)
• Trains
  
  

For children who have autism, but do not exhibit communication needs:

Select toys that encourage use of both sides of the body and repetition of a purposeful activity. Examples include:

Toys and games with pragmatics included (help with understanding non-verbal cues and social situations)

• Social Stories™ (books that require one to act out movements while learning social expectations and communication techniques)
• "Guess Who" books
• Board games that ask simple questions, such as Hedbanz

Action and movement games

• Hullabaloo
• Twister (encourages cooperation with others and intense motor planning and coordination skills)
• Games that encourage running and chasing activities with a rule book to help explain the game
• Bowling games on the lawn
• Carpet square hopscotch games
  
  

For children who have motor delay with crawling capability:

Select toys that encourage fine motor practice, sitting balance, mobility, problem solving and communication, and require repetition of movement. Examples include:

Computer assisted games (for fine motor practice)

Bowling sets

Musical instruments

Toys that require repetition of movement and encourage mobility

• Shape sorters, peg boards, Light-Brite(tm) (assist with fine motor skills and sitting balance)
• Higher-level cards with pieces to form a shape (help develop fine motor skills, problem solving, and communication)
• Lego® or other types of toys that require building and manipulation of objects to create things (encourage development of gross and fine motor skills and communication techniques)
• Plastic containers filled with everyday, household items, such as utensils to imitate cooking
• Aqua Sand (encourages pouring, dumping, scooping, squatting, sequencing, and choices of color)
• Trains
• Exercise balls, tunnels, and pillows to crawl over
  
  

For children who have motor delay and standing capability:

Select toys that encourage fine motor practice and the imitation of daily activities. Also, choose toys that require repetition of movement and encourage mobility. Examples include:

Activities to imitate daily activities

• Play kitchen
• Play work bench
• Train set on a tabletop

Board games

Movement games

• Bowling sets
• Push toys: shopping carts, stroller for dolls, cars/ride-ons
• Containers filled with toys to encourage bending, squatting, stacking, and ball play
• Musical toys

Toys that require repetition of movement and encourage mobility

• Shape sorters, peg boards, Light-Brite(tm) (assist with fine motor skills and sitting balance)
• Higher-level cards with pieces to form a shape (help develop fine motor skills, problem solving, and communication)
• Lego® or other types of toys that require building and manipulation of objects to create things (encourage development of gross and fine motor skills and communication techniques)
• Plastic containers filled with everyday, household items, such as utensils to imitate cooking
• Aqua Sand (encourages pouring, dumping, scooping, squatting, sequencing, and choices of color)
• Trains
• Dress up items (be mindful of zippers, snaps and buttons)
  
  

For children who use motorized chairs for mobility:

Select toys that encourage manipulative activities that develop arm strength. Examples include:

Manipulative activities for those with arm strength

• Balls
• Peg boards
• Arts and crafts
• Silly Putty®, Play-Doh®, magnets
• Erector® sets/Lego®
• Basketball hoop
• Bowling
• T-ball set or similar games that involve throwing (golf, football, corn hole, bean-bag toss)
• Adapted swing

Manipulative activities for those who are developing arm strength

• Musical instruments
• Play-Doh®
  
  

Symptoms & Conditions Guides

Children with cerebral palsy and those with development coordination disorder, developmental delays, and torticollis, can benefit from early intervention by a pediatric physical therapist. The following guides examine these conditions in detail and explain how a pediatric physical therapist can help your child function at his or her best. Learn more about pediatric physical therapists and the conditions they treat.

Cerebral Palsy

Developmental Coordination Disorder

Developmental Delay

Torticollis

Videos

View the videos below to see what toys physical therapists recommend for children with disabilities.

General Toy Tips for Children with Disabilities

Toys for Children with Developmental Delays and Disabilities

Toys for Children with Physical Disabilities