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Special Toys for Special Toddlers
Finding the Right Toys for Toddlers with Autism, Hearing and Other Developmental Issues
By Lisa A. Goldstein
- Puzzles
- Shape sorters
- Peg boards
- Lacing beads
- Bubbles
- Balloons
- Play dough
To expand pretend play skills, Patel says to introduce children to the following:
- Dolls
- Kitchen set
- Parking garage
- Telephones
- Toy cars and trucks
- Barn set with animals
- Dollhouse with people and household objects
For children who tend to fixate on spinning objects, you want to limit (or avoid) the amount of time they play with objects that have wheels, says Shari Harpaz, a speech-language pathologist who works with Ebeanstalk.com.
"First, one must differentiate between the deaf without cochlear implants and the deaf with cochlear implants versus hearing impaired (mild to moderate) requiring hearing aids," says Dr. Hau Sin Wong, pediatric otolaryngologist at Children's Ear, Nose and Throat Surgeons of Orange County.
In children who are deaf without cochlear implants and who sign, a visual stimulus would likely work best as a toy. "Ideally, the toy should correlate the name of the object with a picture," Dr. Wong says. A good example would be having a picture of a dog with the spelling of dog under it and possibly the sign as well. Other visually stimulating toys with lights and tactile stimuli would also work well to enhance other senses, she says.
In children who are deaf with cochlear implants or who wear hearing aids, visually and tactile stimulating toys are also helpful. A toy with volume control would be advantageous, but if the toy is too loud, you can place a tape over the speaker, Dr. Wong says. "Toys which have the piture of the object and say the name are helpful in reinforcing the pronunciation and phonics to these children who will be getting intense speech therapy to help them pronounce words appropriately," Dr. Wong says.