Toys for Children with Disabilities – It is the nature of children if they like playing. For some parents with special needs children, giving and providing the best for their loved ones are necessary conditions. Choosing appropriate toys for children with autism can help them to have the same chance to any child. Some online stores provide toys that are designed for children with autism.
Children with autism often have difficulties in understanding verbal communication and developing social interaction. Children with autism might not be comfortable to play or to share their toys with other children. In communication, they might have a problem in showing gestures, even pointing.
Where to Find Good Toys for Children with Disabilities
Good toys for helping them are now widely available on the market. They offer various types of toys for children with special needs. Some toys specifically aim for children to enable their sensory system. Sensory toys for special needs allow children to develop their sense. To be more aware of something they touch, something they see, and something they listen to. Sensory toys also help them to focus and learn.
Sensory Toy Warehouse provides various sensory toys for children with special needs. One of the beautiful toys is Wooden Flexi Ballerina. This toy is good to activate fine motor skill. This is designed beautifully and safe for children to keep fidgeting to distract negative behavior. Furthermore, this can also be toys for children with Down syndrome. Children with Down syndrome might have difficulties with fine motor skills. This type of toys and puzzle are good for children to develop fine motor skill.
Some parents might look for toys for toddlers with learning disabilities. Puzzles, building blocks, flash cards, songs, videos can be the options as learning aids. Educational toys are helpful for children with learning disabilities. However, parents need to recognize which ways of learning work for their children. Some might develop an auditory, visual, or kinesthetic way of learning.
Toddlers with kinesthetic learning learn best through experiencing things on their own. Visual learners need to see things they learn. For instance, learning kinds of fruit by having the fruit toys with actual size and color can help visual learners. The children can see the appearance of certain fruit and easily memorize it.
Also, some might look for adaptive toys for special needs children. Adaptive toys can be adjusted to certain aims or situations. This type of toys could be effective both in cost and function.
Grants Sources of Toys for Children with Disabilities
Here are some grants that provide toys for children with disabilities:
Different Needz Foundation
At Different Needz Foundation, they’re dedicated to providing comprehensive support for families navigating the challenges of special needs care. Their platform serves as a vital resource hub, offering a convenient marketplace for families to buy and sell gently used medical equipment and adaptive toys.
They understand the financial strain that comes with caring for a loved one with special needs, which is why they strive to make essential equipment more accessible through their grant program. Whether it’s finding the perfect wheelchair, sensory tools, or specialized toys, their goal is to streamline the process, empowering families to meet unique needs with greater ease and affordability.
Beyond just facilitating transactions, their foundation fosters a community where families can connect, share experiences, and find solidarity. They recognize that navigating the world of special needs care can be overwhelming.
Also, they aim to alleviate some of that burden by providing a supportive environment where families can find both practical resources and emotional support. Through their platform, they’re not only enabling access to essential equipment but also cultivating a sense of belonging and empowerment among special needs families.
Website: http://www.differentneedzfoundation.org/
The Helping from Heaven
The Lexi Kazian Foundation is a charity that helps make life better for kids with special needs. They do this by offering things like education, therapy, playground equipment, and toys. They also provide resources and scholarships to families and therapists who need financial help or support from the community. If you want to learn more, visit their website at http://www.helpingfromheaven.org/.
TIC TOC Pirate Toy Fund
TIC-TOC (Toys Inspiring Children To Overcome Challenges) is a fresh initiative by the Pirate Toy Fund. TIC-TOC aims to assist children facing developmental hurdles by offering them educational toys.
These toys aid in enhancing their thinking and movement abilities within the comfort of their homes. Often, the specialized toys these kids use at school are too expensive for families to buy. The Pirate Toy Fund steps in, raising funds to make these adaptive toys accessible through trusted program partners who work closely with children with special needs.
Kids with physical disabilities might struggle with typical toys because they need good hand skills to handle small pieces. Meanwhile, children with emotional challenges often connect deeply with specific toys that help them learn social skills. But these specially made toys are pricey, hard to find in regular stores, and rarely donated during our Toy Drives.
Additionally, through their Toys on Patrol program, launched in 2011, law enforcement officers use toys and books donated by the Rochester community. It is available to bring comfort to children in tough situations.
This initiative has been widely praised, with Monroe County law enforcement agencies emphasizing its positive impact. With the support of volunteers and community partners like Kinecta Federal Credit Union and Mayer Paint & Hardware, they’ve distributed over 25,000 toys to children through this program.
Alternative Option
There are several places (in this case website) where you can get a grant for those toys, such as:
- A Kid Again: This organization provides children with disabilities and life-threatening illness along with their families support and funding including the need of toys for those children.
- You can also visit Aubrey Rose Foundation to find and get several grants for children with disabilities and life-threatening condition; they also give grants to pay medical bills.
- Meanwhile, for children with visual disabilities, you can visit Association of Blind Citizens (http://www.blindcitizens.org/assistive_tech.htm) to get the Assistive Technology Fund (ATF): This particular grant will cover your expense when you buy adaptive toys, software or device for special needs children.
References:
- Autism Speaks – Ten Toys for Children with Autism – https://www.autismspeaks.org/news/ten-autism-toys
- Frienship Circle – http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2013/10/21/15-great-online-toy-stores-for-children-with-special-needs/
- A Kid Again – http://www.akidagain.org/
- Image: mirror.co.uk
- (https://www.piratetoyfund.org/programs)
- (https://specialneedstoys.com/usa/content/resources)
