Autism or ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is a very common, however, complicated disorder. Mostly children, nowadays, are getting impacted by this serious disease. Autistic children face specific problems with learning. But, miraculously, they are gifted with various talents like music and art.
How to Toys help Autistic Children?
However, toys with educational features help to build them spontaneously. Here are some ways toys help them to live a normal life:
- Encourage your child: The right toys will encourage the children to do more active actions. Every child has their uniqueness to celebrate. Just like others, an autistic child deserves to live life to the fullest. Help them to achieve joy by indulging them with fun toys.
- Expand problem-solving ability: Doodling toys, puzzle games, blocks will expand their problem-solving knowledge. They will learn to use their imagination power while playing with toys. They will develop a social skill with time, by the use of innovative toys.
- Pick the right toy: The right type of toys will help to enhance the constructive ability of an autistic child. Several sensory toys can capture the attention of a child with ASD. Colorful toys with attractive pictures will make them busy with the toy for hours.
In this article, we have mentioned 10 best toys for Autistic Children for their all-round development. Let’s get into further details right away:
Best Toys for Autistic Kids 2021
Best Sensory Toys for Autistic Toddlers: Reviews
1. Jasonwell Aqua Magic Doodle Mat
ASD children have a special knack for drawing. This Jasonwell Aqua Magic Doodle mat encourages them to develop their mental skills. It helps them to imagine. Also, this magic doodle provides the best learning education in a fun way.
Kids can fill the provided magic pen with water and then draw it on the mat. Moreover, the aqua mat is completely non-toxic, non-polluting. Kids can explore their creative sides with this beautiful toy set.
Pros:
- It comes with four suction cups.
- Letter prints on the side.
- This toy is safe to use.
- It is also easy to clean.
- Educational toy.
- It also comes with magic pens, doodle cups, five design booklets, stamps, storage boxes, drawing template.
Cons:
- It has to be filled with water to be used.
- The marker nibs are a bit weak
2. Just Smarty Electronic Interactive Alphabet Wall Chart
Learning alphabets has never been so easy with this just Smarty Electronic toy. It will let the child explore all the letters in a relaxed manner. The autistic children will be benefited from this toy. It will develop their learning ability. Also, the colorful images and designs on the chart keep them engaged for hours.
They can even learn numbers and words with this attractive wall chart. Other than that, ASD children are drawn to the music & riddles of this toy.
Pros:
- Easily accessible on and off switch.
- It offers volume control.
- Alphabets, Lyric, and numbers are available.
- Get lyrics quiz.
- Batteries required to access.
- Repeat feature available.
Cons:
- The product is a bit small in size.
- This product is not for very small kids.
3. ZaxiDeel Toys for Children and Adults Sensory Tools to Relieve Stress and Anxiety
Pack of child’s joy, this sensory toy is one of the best toys for Autistic Children. This flexible toy can be broken and bend down smoothly. It helps to grow their motor skills and mental power. This toy also makes a unique sound, which can develop their hearing senses.
Pros:
- The toy is packed with six different colored tubes
- The toy is super stretchy
- It creates a funny sound when stretched and compressed
- This toy is safe to use
- Cool toys for calming down children
- Set of 6 multi-colored toys
- It is a multifunctional toy
- The tubes are non-toxic and odorless
- The body material is BPA free Plastic
Cons:
- It is on the pricier side.
- A bit noisy.
4. My Moods, My choices- Notebooks for children
This beautifully designed educational toy helps the children to understand various expressions, feelings, and moods. Kids will love to flip those colorful pages of the book and get aware of the different human emotions. Most importantly, this useful toy is useful for kids with autistic disorder. The pages have different mood characters like happy, angry, confused, worried, sad, disappointed, and bored.
Pros:
- 20 moods of expression available
- The notebook is very durable
- The material quality of bok is very high
- Thick rings and support resistant
- Can be displayed in kitchen, bedrooms, classrooms
- very easy to clean
Cons:
- It is not suitable for school.
- There are some misprints on the product.
5. 24 Sensory Pieces to Relieve Stress, Soothing Toys
This marvelous toy is an excellent gift for your special child. And it is suitable for all age types. It helps them to learn things with fun and enjoyable methods. It will help them to get rid of their stress.
Pros:
- The toy is a package of liquid movement timer, DNA stress remover Ball, Marble Puzzle, Pull Bands and much more
- This sensory toy comes in 24 quantity
- The body material of this sensory toy is non-toxic, non-palatable and safe to use
- The size dimensions are 7.5 x 6.5 x 4.5 inch
Cons:
- The toys are a bit fragile.
- The product quality is not that great.
6. CozyBomb wooden number puzzle sorting Montessori toys for toddlers
This toy is a helpful learning tool that you can give to your children while they engage in a fun time by learning the number system and figuring out various shapes. This toy can also help 3-year-old kids to develop multiple cognitive abilities such as motor coordination, recognition of different colors, and improved creativity with sound imagination. There are also some wood puzzle games which comes with it
Pros:
- Safe and environment-friendly
- Made of smoothed wood
- Nontoxic color material
- Small and compact toy parts
- Ten different geometric shapes
- 10 number figures
Cons:
- The packaging is not great.
- Some parts are a bit wobbly.
7. BunMo XL Pop Tubes Sensory Toys
BunMo Pop Tubes come in a pack of 4 soft tubes of different colours. The tubes are open-ended and can be connected to one-another. This allows your child to make unlimited shapes with them.
They can also be used as fidget toys to calm the child. The tubes are made up of sturdy yet soft plastic that can be twisted, expanded and turned to make various patterns that can soothe your child and keep them engaged for a long time.
The Pop Tubes can lose their size but can be easily put back to their original form by an adult. It has a simple design that does not overwhelm the senses and provides tactical stimulation and fine motor skills.
Pros:
- Comes in bright colours that are fun and attractive
- Made up of soft and safe plastic
- Made for kids above the age of 3
- The XL size is bigger than regular pop tubes
- Stimulates good imagination
Cons:
- Will not survive rough usage
- Might be too simple for older kids
8. Essential education: Photoconversion cards for children
This product is a collection of picture cards which is helpful for children with autism for understanding and handling various social interactions in real life. This allows them to develop sound oral language skills. Moreover, these cards have picturized examples of different social scenarios and what response should be given in those moments.
This product has been made, keeping in mind the learning of children with special needs and other young children.
Pros:
- Includes, variety of social topics
- Easy to understand pictures
- 90 different conversion cards
- Suitable for ages 5-11
Cons:
- Some cards are not very good.
- The information and wording could be better.
9. Willy Fox USA Sensory Busy Book
Willy Fox Sensory Busy Book is a great and entertaining way for your kids to learn about animals while developing memory, problem-solving skills and logical thinking.
It is developed by professionals and experts like speech therapists and child disability specialists to improve fine motor skills, imagination and visual perception. It is designed to function as a speech therapy toy for toddlers.
The toy comes in an interactive book format that has 4 storylines i.e forest, ocean, farm and jungle. It also includes 36 characters that fit in one or multiple of these 4 storylines, the child has to put the characters into the storyline for his/her understanding.
The character cards come with velcro adhesive on the back that is child-safe, there are 6 extra velcro pieces provided in case the original ones get damaged. There are also 9 stickers that can be used as rewards for solving the storylines.
There is also a small pouch to hold all the character cards so that they don’t get misplaced or lost while playing. The engaging format of the toy allows multiple kids to play together and develop competitive as well as team-building spirit.
Pros:
- Great for gifting
- It is fully laminated to make it sturdy and durable
- Has great packaging with a magnetic lock that can be used for storage
- Developed by American behavioural experts
- Great for kid’s group activities
Cons:
- A bit on the expensive side
- Some people received a defective toy with a few spelling errors
10. ToyerBee Pop Fidget Sensory Toys Set
ToyerBee Pop Fidget Sensory Toys are a set of 12 toys that are designed to calm an anxious child. These are individual fidget toys that will relieve stress and keep both the hands and the mind engaged. This is a great option for households with multiple kids as there is something for everyone in the set.
The set includes toys such as 1 pop fidget, 1 stretchy spring, 1 flippy chain, 2 fidget spinners, 2 jumping launcher toys, 1 maze puzzle, 1 snap and click snake and 1 magic cube. The majority of the toys are small enough to carry around and will fit in the pockets. This allows your child to carry around their anxiety-relieving toys outside and not get overwhelmed in certain stressful situations.
The toys are made up of natural, non-toxic, BPA free and non-allergenic materials that are safe for kids. All of them are designed with varying degrees of complexities, some of them are simple like the stretchy spring or jumping launcher toys while others are a little more advanced such as a magic cube and puzzle. This allows more freedom for your child to choose the kind of toy that he/she wants to engage with.
Pros:
- Suitable for those kids and siblings/friends
- Set of 12 allows more options
- Great for stress-relief
- Suitable for ages above 3 years
- Free from latex, phthalates & BPA
Cons:
- Might get misplaced/lost easily due to their size
- The smaller size of individual toys can be a choking hazard if you have a baby/toddler at home
Things to Know Before Buying Toys for Autistic Children
Before you go shopping for your special child who is suffering Autism, you must know these fundamentals. Not every child has the same ability to understand things and play with a toy in a similar way. So when it comes to children with autism, special care in choosing their toys has to be taken. This involves a few below-discussed things:
1. Toys with cause and effect feature:
With these toys, teach your child how they can have an impact on what they do at the environment around them and people. These toys may involve vibration when pressed or tilted, show-up colored lights when some button is pressed, and more.
The reaction could be any depending upon what doesn’t bother them. Make sure your child is comfortable and doesn’t get irritated with the effect the toy will produce. These cause and effect toys will further help them get interactive when someone talks to them. And hence, they will grow up to be socially interactive and not into an introvert.
2. Child’s interest and age matters:
Make sure you know what your child might be interested in when it comes to buying toys. Since children with autism have a different level of ability (including their likes as per their age), you must watch out for their behavior to understand their interest in things.
This will ensure that they enjoy whatever you purchase for them and feel special and cared for. And hence, they will grow up to be closely attached to you and will share what impacts them in both good and bad ways. Moreover, your understanding of your child will improve for the better. They won’t feel alone in a crowd of people who feel different from them in any manner.
Conclusion
Toys play a vital role in enhancing their motor skills, mental development, problem-solving skills, and more. Various learning toys can build a better world for these “Differently Abled” children. Due to their problems of understanding things, lack of social, attention skills, playing can be hard for ASD Childs.
Children are an essential part of our family. They bring joy and happiness to us, and their presence in our house is quite a delightful experience. Simple things can make them happy and joyful. However, they are most delighted when they are given various toys and playful items.
These toys might be in the form of action figures or shapes of different comic characters. Although they do serve a purpose, however, when you give them something by which they can learn a lot of different things and skills, you can be sure that your gift was worth it.
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