AblePlay™ helps parents select toys for their children with special needs
 

With the holiday shopping season fast approaching, an authoritative resource recently was introduced to help ensure success for the millions of parents, grandparents and others who have a simple wish –to see a big smile on the face of the child for whom they’re purchasing that “perfect” toy. “It‘s quite a challenge to select just the right toy for any child and it can be even more difficult when choosing a toy for a child with a special need,“ says Diana Nielander, director of National Lekotek Center, which recently debuted the AblePlay Rating System, a no-cost online resource available at www.ableplay.org. (Please see “Top 5” holiday toy recommendations at the end of this story.)

“With so many products on the market, it can be difficult to get ‘beyond the box’ to identify the exceptional features of the toys. Understanding the products features so you can match them to the child’s abilities is important,” says Nielander of the National Lekotek Center, which 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 nonprofit organization in Chicago with the mission of assisting people with disabilities to live and work successfully in the community.

Nielander says, “Toys that are well chosen will play to a child’s strengths, help enhance his or her specific skills and offer the hours of sheer fun that a good plaything should provide.” In addition to an AblePlay rating, every toy on www.ableplay.org consists of a comprehensive product review that explains important product features and offers creative and adaptive ideas for play.

AblePlay was developed for parents like Carol Hill of suburban Chicago. Her 9-year-old, Jeremiah, has Down syndrome. “As a parent of a child with a disability, I can’t afford to ‘waste’ playtime with toys that are not therapeutic in some respect, as well as being just plain fun. I select toys that help further Jeremiah’s strengths and address areas in which he needs to make progress.”

For example, Hill believes that a toy that incorporates a labyrinth, featured on AblePlay, may help Jeremiah improve his ability to visually focus on a particular thing while engaging his intellect and problem-solving ability. “It’s very comforting to know that professionals who have therapeutic backgrounds and play expertise are involved in rating AblePlay’s products,” she says.

In order to make the information relevant for all children, each toy receives a rating in four disability categories -- cognitive, communicative, physical and sensory. Ratings are awarded on a scale of zero to five stars, with the number of stars representing the depth of accessibility, appropriateness and overall use of a particular item.

Lekotek toy and play experts put each product through a rigorous evaluation process before calculating a rating and posting it on the AblePlay Web site. As part of the evaluation process, evaluators assess each toy with 5-8 children of varying disabilities during at least 5-8 play experiences.

Information about 50 - 75 toys and learning products currently are posted at www.ableplay.org and that number will continually increase. Since so many more people are trying to streamline their holiday shopping by purchasing online, visitors to www.ableplay.org, can purchase toys online directly from manufacturers after reading the Comprehensive Product Reviews.

An essential strength of AblePlay is its objectivity and the sense of authority and expertise it commands. Parents of children with disabilities can easily appreciate the value of AblePlay. They trust the Lekotek name, which has long enjoyed a reputation as an authority on toys and play for children with disabilities.

Betsy Uzzell, also from a Chicago suburb recalls the ongoing search for just the right toy to stimulate and work on skills with David, her son who is deaf and now 16 years old. Specifically, she looked for products that helped him learn to take turns. She observes that most children learn how to take turns by listening to conversational cues, hearing how a conversation naturally goes back and forth between two people. “When your child is deaf,” says Uzzell, “you look for ways to teach that skill through play, which includes something as simple as rolling a ball back and forth. Importantly, “an activity such as rolling a ball paves the way for development of language skills.”

AblePlay exists to help parents get the information they really need about a product, not just what the manufacturers put out there.

AblePlay’s Holiday 2006 Top 5 Toys for Children with Disabilities:

Dream Nouveau’s Hop ‘n Pop takes kids’ natural fascination with bubble wrap and gives them a multi-sensory experience. It provides a special benefit for kids with autism and/or sensory disorders; they often have the ability to learn better after having stimulus that engages their large muscle groups. The manufacturer designates this toy, available at www.ableplay.org, for $79.99, for children 18 months and older.

Rokenbok’s Capable Commander is a special controller for kids with special needs that replaces the traditional controller that is used to operate the vehicles. (For many children with physical disabilities like cerebral palsy, the daunting task of holding and manipulating a standard remote control unit is frustrating if not impossible.) The manufacturer designates this toy, available at www.ableplay.org for $199.98, for children eight years and older.

HaPe International’s Bamboo Bialo is an engaging game of skill and chance that enhances fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination while encouraging cooperative play. The manufacturer recommends this toy, available at www.ableplay.org for $24.95, for children four years and older.

Kushies, Inc.’s Zolo Beanstax helps kids develop coordination between their movement and mind, hand-eye coordination and problem solving – all while having fun and interacting with others. The manufacturer designates this toy, available at www.ableplay.org, for $35.99, for children one year and older.

WABA Fun’s Superstructs is a construction set comprised of 160 large, vibrant and durable interlocking pieces that includes rods, connectors, and panels. Superstructs stimulates kids to develop creativity, eye-hand coordination skills and overall dexterity. The manufacturer recommends this toy, available at www.ableplay.org for $29.95, for children three years and older.

For general guidelines on how to select a toy for a child with a disability, visit http://www.lekotek.org/resources/informationontoys/tentips.html.

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National Lekotek Center: 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 successfully in the community. Anixter Center recently was named the 13th-largest charitable organization in Chicago by Crain’s Chicago Business. Lekotek, based in Chicago, Illinois, is the U.S. headquarters and the administrative and training center for the nationwide network of 34 Lekotek centers in seven states.

Note to reporters and editors: for more information about Anixter Center, please visit our media room at http://www.anixter.org/mediaroom/index.htm.