The Value Of Sensory Toys For Special Needs Education

By Author: Sherman Barber
Total Articles: 6
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Every child can benefit from having toys to play with. Toys help a child develop motor skills, creativity , social skills and other things they will need for growth and development. But for a child with autism or other special needs, toys play an even more important role. Sensory toys special needs children help them to gain a measure of control over their environment. Sensory toys for autism development are important because they help the child to learn problem-solving skills, something that many children with autism struggle to do. What may look like simple play with Sensory toys for special needs children may actually be the process of education in action.

Having the right kind of sensory toys for autism education is very important to the development of of the children in the classroom. Millions of children are affected by some kind of special need or disability that affects their ability to learn in a conventional way. Because of that, more and more schools are incorporated toys for special needs students into their classrooms. These toys are also becoming increasingly more available to parents as well, so ...
... that learning and development may continue at home.

Sensory toys for special needs students help them to work on things like hand-to-eye co-ordination, fine and gross motor skills and social interaction. Sensory toys designed for autism education are not specifically geared toward a particular age group. The goal is to focus on the developmental level of the toy, not the age. Because of the particular developmental needs of each child with special needs toys that are meant for a child of a certain age may not be appropriate for a child of the same age with a disorder such as autism. Older children with autism, for example, can derive great benefit from toys that are designed for a younger child, such as blocks or a ball.

Sensory toys for autism education are particularly important. Many children with autism or other special needs have difficulty with various textures, for example. Toys like sand and water tables, textured balls and other tactile objects can help a child overcome their difficulties with texture and touch. They can help a child with autism learn to interact with the world around them.

The challenge a teacher of special needs children may find is the difficulty that exists in striking a balance between providing ample opportunity to explore sensory toys and running the risk of over-stimulating the child. Sensory toys for autism education work in unexpected ways, too. Some studies have indicated a connection between playing with sensory toys and a better degree of information retention by the child. Teaching a lesson while a child's hand is playing with water, for example, has been shown to result in more information being retained by the child than if the same lesson were taught without the sensory element.

Sensory toys, then, have a special place in special needs education. There is no doubt that teaching a child with special needs presents many challenges but sensory toys for special needs children can go a long way toward assisting both the teacher and the student in the learning process. And hwen used at home, these sensory toys can help to extend the learning potential even more.

For the very best selection of Sensory toys for autism and Sensory toys for special needs products, contact us today. Visit http://www.exploreyoursenses.co.uk for more information.