top ten tips:
selecting toys for a child with a disability
National Lekotek Center provides advice on choosing playthings guaranteed
to make a child smile

CHICAGO (July 26, 2004) — The holiday toy-buying season is upon us, and when choosing among the thousands of toys clamoring for attention on retailers’ shelves, shoppers seeking the perfect plaything for kids with disabilities are likely to make a hit if they’re armed with plenty of information.

“Think outside of the box,” advises Diana Nielander, acting director of the National Lekotek Center, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that is the country’s central source on toys and play for children with disabilities and their families. Nielander says that because many people don’t feel confident about how to select the best toys for kids with special needs, these children often miss out of the joy of toys at holiday time – receiving, perhaps, too many gifts of clothing and other practical items.

Help is available from Lekotek in the form of a special “Top Ten” list that serves as a primer on successful toy-buying. Here are the questions that Lekotek play experts ask when choosing developmentally appropriate toys for differently abled kids.

1. Multi-sensory appeal: Does the toy respond with lights, sounds or movement to engage the child? Are there contrasting colors? Does it have a scent? Is there texture?
   
   “It’s now a documented fact that many children who are able to use a variety of senses to explore and experience something new will learn better, retain more and recall the information more easily at a later time,” says Lekotek Toy Specialist Ellen Metrick.
   
2. Method of activation: Will the toy provide a challenge without frustration? What is the force required to activate? What are the number and complexity of steps required to activate?
   
   Metrick says that years ago, many families buying toys for kids with disabilities had to rely on costly, specially adapted toys, but nowadays, many toy companies are creating a variety of toys with lots of “bells and whistles.”
   
3. Places the toy will be used: Will the toy be easy to store? Is there space in the home? Can the toy be used in a variety of positions such as side-lying or on a wheelchair tray?
   
4. Opportunities for success: Can play be open-ended with no definite right or wrong way to use? Is it adaptable to the child’s individual style, ability and pace?
   
5. Current popularity: Is it a toy that will help the child with disabilities feel like any other kid? Does it tie in with other activities like books and art sets that promote other forms of play?
   
6. Self-expression: Does the toy allow for creativity, uniqueness and making choices? Will it give the child experience with a variety of media?
   
7. Adjustability: Does it have adjustable height, sound volume, speed and level of difficulty?
   
8. Child’s individual abilities: Does the toy provide activities that reflect both developmental and chronological ages? Does it reflect the child’s interests and ages?
   
9. Safety and durability: Does the toy fit with the child’s size and strength? Is it moisture resistant? Are the toy and its parts sized appropriately? Can it be washed and cleaned?
   
10. Potential for interaction? Will the child be an active participant during use? Will the toy encourage social engagement with others?

Lekotek offers other additional no-cost resources to provide toy-selection assistance. Annually, in conjunction with retailer Toys R Us, it produces a Toy Guide for Differently Abled Kids. The guide is available at Toys R Us locations. A visit to Lekotek’s Web site at www.lekotek.org provides information about the Lekotek Toy Resource Helpline 1-800-366-PLAY, e stablished in 1992 in response to an increasingly high demand for individualized information on toys and play for parents of children with disabilities, their friends, families and professionals who work with them.

The National Lekotek Center provides direct services, support and information to children with special needs and their families in resource and play centers that are found worldwide. Lekotek is a division of Anixter Center, a not-for-profit organization in Chicago that assists individuals with disabilities to live and work in the community. People served by Lekotek include children with a range of disabilities such as Down’s syndrome, cerebral palsy, sight or hearing loss, developmental disabilities or chronic medical conditions, and their families. Lekotek, based in Chicago, Illinois, is the U.S. headquarters and the administrative and training center for the nationwide network of 42 Lekotek centers in 11 states (California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia).

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The mission of the Lester and Rosalie Anixter Center is to assist people with disabilities to live and work successfully in the community. Anixter Center is a leading provider of high-quality vocational, residential and educational options, substance abuse prevention and treatment, and health care. Anixter Center is an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to be full and equal members of the community.