Educational and developmental toys play an important role in helping autistic children develop essential coping skills. Autistic children, in the process, develop their cognitive skills.
Children have a soft corner for toys. They love to play with them and carry them every where they set foot. An autistic child is no different. He possess the same kind of love for toys as any other kid would. However, all toys may not be suitable for him. Thus, you need to figure out which toys would contribute in enhancing his cognitive and assimilation skills.
Choices of Toys for Autistic Children
Shape-o Ball
You could gift a Shape-o Ball. It has a base in the shape of a polygon. Around the edges of the polygon are hollows of different shapes. Along with the polygon shape comes the solid shapes that have to fit into their corresponding hollow shapes. This developmental toy for autistic children helps the little one understand what shapes are all about. It also aids in improving his motor skills, tactile senses and hand-eye coordination. Parents can help their children play along and learn in the process.
Ooglie
Ooglie is a little toy that concentrates on training autistic children with knowledge about their tactile senses. Autistic children are known to have a peculiar gaze and they avoid making eye contact while in social circles. Even if they would like to see what is happening, they would look from the corner of the eye, but direct eye contact that sustains is a characteristic, absent in autistic children. The creature-shaped toy can make funny noises, can somersault, lights up his eyes (literally!) and starts to vibrate when the tail is pulled. The vibration elicits emotions that the creature is getting irritated showing his ability to respond, thereby making autistic children learn how to be responsive in many ways.
Flashing Molecule Ball
A flashing molecule ball is a toy that can help the child enhance his gross motor skills and senses of response. The ball consists of a source of light that flashes when touched. It is very similar to the mechanism on which Ooglie works.
Musical Blocks
Musical blocks can improve his auditory and comprehension skills with appropriating his hand-eye coordination. Music blocks have hollows of different shapes into which certain musical solid blocks are placed. Depending on the blocks placed and the entire arrangement, there would be different tunes that would be played as each block has different musical instruments playing when inserted into the block. They can arrange and rearrange the blocks to have an altogether novel tune played every time they make changes in the arrangement.
Books
Books is an old school educational ‘toy’ for autistic children that could be used to engross your child and enhance his auditory senses, also helping him understand what is being read. When he starts to read the book on his own, he would notice the book has repetition of words and sentences, rhyme and rhythm to help him comprehend better. Books with visuals is another safe alternative that assures understanding by your child.
Puzzles
Puzzles can make your child more confident in solving problems, making it a hand-eye coordination activity and improving his comprehension skills. Trying out with different textures of the puzzle may help him to get a basic feel of the puzzle board, which may contribute in enhancing his tactile and sensory motor skills. You may introduce new puzzles textures to acquaint your child better.
Sing-song Videos
Sing song videos could help in enhancing the acoustic skills of the child. The lyrics of the song are repeated over and over again and it is through this that the child learns the song while singing along.
When these toys are taken into consideration, you may choose a few of them and see how your child copes. In my opinion you would be pleasantly surprised to see how your child loves to play with these toys.