The best toys for toddlers with ASD can assist them with language, communication and provide knowledge on social interactions.
Toys that have music allow them to focus on that rather than their surroundings if they are overwhelmed.
Weighted toys are especially helpful when the toddler is developing spatial awareness, some children with Autism have a hard time and suffer with spatial awareness which is the ability to be aware of oneself in space.
It is knowledge distance and speed to objects around them.
You can find more on spatial awareness at http://occupationaltherapyforchildren.over-blog.com/article-spatial-awareness-108726104.html
Each toddler is different, with their own set of strengths and weaknesses.
My own experience has taught me that one of the best methods of finding toys for toddlers with ASD is to observe them, find their interest and use that when choosing toys to help build on their weaknesses.
An example, if a toddler has an interest in music and musical instruments, and a weakness in communication, then you can use that musical instrument as a way to work on their communication, by encouraging them to sing along with you or other children which will also help with social interaction.
Though every social situation needs to be clearly explained, sometimes it can take years for them to understand why things take place in a social setting, encouraging and explaining is a great way to allow them to understand what is going on around them.
My story
Once I learned that my toddler had ASD, well autistic disorder which was his first diagnoses.
I began inquiring about early learning programs.
The wait list was too long and by the time he qualified for service he would have been too old to receive it.
So, I began reading everything I could get my hands on about ASD and techniques used that I could apply in my sons life.
I researched online, joined parent meetings locally, and workshops to gain more understanding of what autism is, and learned many valuable skills as both a parent and caregiver.
My observations
At first it did not look good, my toddler was not speaking, maintaining eye contact and he had no interest in communicating with other kids or with me.
Meal time was difficult, so was bed time and potty training, and with him quickly approaching school age I really began to panic.
I noticed repetitive behaviors and odd play with items he found around the house, lining his toys up was typical, blocks, cars and teddy bears all had their own spot and were arranged in perfect order.
His interest in computers was extreme, learning how to type words was easy for him.
He had his own music playlist and memorized each song by the length of the song and location on the playlist.
His favorite toy was a magna doodle that he carried with him and used constantly.
Using his strengths to achieve his goals
I showed my son a few popular childrens sites at the time, bobthebuilder.com and pbskids.org were his favorite. These sites had similar games that you can get on kid friendly tablets. I remember the interactive stories, that held his interest. I also remember giving him access to text to speech software.
He still carried his magna doodle every where he went, at 4 years old he was writing numbers 1-10 and would tell me them if I asked. He started to repeat words I said when prompted with his magna doodle and attempt to give me his rendition of the word on the board, at the time looked like a bunch of wiggly lines, still we were making progress.
He was finally potty trained day and night with the use of a reward system (the computer).
The next year would be amazing, as he started to speak slowly, one word at a time. He now was burning cds of his favorite music and familiar with Microsoft office, and power point. He still loved his magna doodle it was now his way of spelling small words.
Then the day came Kindergarten and was he ever ready to step out into the world, he had excelled in his area of interest, and could read and do math. He only spoke small sentences and only would speak if asked a question, it was amazing progress. His diagnoses changed that year from autistic disorder to aspergers disorder.
That is when I started discussing this topic with other parents, and implementing toys in child care in my home. I have seen so much success with children of all ages and different needs that I really wanted to make this website and share it with everyone who stops and visits my site.
Toys on the market
As more companies learn the benefits of toys for children with autism, more of these toys are making their way to the market. My most recent interest was in child tablets, as it has many benefits to aid our childrens development.
Different childrens tablets offer a kid friendly system. Also offer applications designed for different needs, from an e-reader to an art studio application which allows them to draw using the stylus or their finger (if its a touch screen). A camera designed to allow them to share their photos with smart phones, and take videos and share with their friends.
Tablets are just one of many devices used and can really assist with language and communication at any level. It can be used to assist with expression and ease frustration, also used for a child with no language ability to a child with weak language ability in learning words.
One major concern when looking for the best toy is value, and tablets are not cheap. They can range between 70.00-110.00 dollars.
A toddler who has ASD has possibly shown their interests and making the decision on value and whether a tablet is a good choice for your toddler will be an individual decision. We know that what works for one child may not work for the next child, knowing if your child will have an interest will make the decision easier.
I encourage parents who have tried a specific tablet or toy and it has helped their child build a skill or achieve a goal, to leave a comment.
I would like to know how durable it is, how safe it is, and how often your child played with it. This will show others looking at similar toys whether its of value. I’m looking forward to reading your comments.
Warm regards,
Renee, Guest Contributor
http://developmentaltoys.org:80/the-best-toys-for-toddlers-with-asd
