Toys for Autistic Children: Autism Toys Guide

Your Autism Toys Guide is here to guide you by choosing the best toys for your Autistic child. Toys for Autistic children are great essentials to have readily available for your child. Toys can encourage your child’s growth and development. They can also be self-soothing and satisfying. With the help of “The Autism Toy Guide” and your interaction with your child, you will definitely find the best toy.

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What are the Best Toys for Autistic Children?

The best toys for Autistic children are toys that promote your child’s growth and development. Toys that target physical, social /emotional and cognitive development. Sensory toys are also on our list. Children with Autism may seek specific textures and refrain from certain noises due to being either overstimulated or understimulated. Selecting toys that encourage your child to utilize their developmental skills, offers a learning experience and sensory toys are the best for Autistic children. Sensory toys are needed to meet your child’s specific preferences and sensory needs.

How to Pick the Best toys for your Autistic Child?

Toys for Autistic children are not only viewed as a fun activity but can be sensory stimulating, mind soothing, and a developmental motivator. Your child may always gravitate to the sand at the park. This is an indicator to inform you that your child likes the texture of sand and it is shown to be very soothing for him or her. However, your child can now be sensory satisfied indoors and outdoors due to one of my favorite inventions. Kinetic Sand! Finding the best toys you know your Autistic child will love all comes along with observing their likes and dislikes.

For example: if your child holds their ear every time an airplane flies by, it is more than likely he or she does not like the sound of the airplane. So don’t go buy an airplane toy that makes noise, consider the wooden airplane without any audio.

When choosing the best toys for your Autistic child consider their specific preference. Their likes and dislikes. Triggers and agitators. All of these considerations with help you pick the very best toys for your child.

Toys that Promote your Autistic Child’s Developmental Growth

Here are the most common developmental skills children child on the Autism Spectrum utilizes within all activities of daily living. However, having the appropriate developmental toys readily available for them will target and encourage their growth and development.

Autism development is very important and used daily. Here are the developmental skills and how your child uses them daily.

Autism Physical Development

First, you have physical development which breaks into two categories. Fine motor skills and large motor skills. Pushing, pulling, squeezing, opening and closing are a few examples of fine motor skills. Your child uses the muscles in their hands and wrists to encourage their fine motor development. Next, is large motor skills. Large Motor skills are performed anytime your child uses their arms, legs and the trunk of their body in any activity.

Autism Speech and Language Skills

Speech and language skills are sounds that turn into words which are referred to as communication. Speech and language delays become more noticeable at eighteen months of age. Typically, children are to recognize 100 to 200 words by 18 months. Speech therapy is the best early intervention resource for children with speech and language delays.

Autism Social and Emotional Skills

Social and emotional skills are present by verbally and physically interacting with others and expressing one’s feelings. Social and emotional skills can be encouraged with fun toys and resources. For example, your child seeks assurance, safety, and praise when playing with their toys. Children love to get your attention to see them accomplish something. Toys can definitely offer a variety of opportunities to build and develop your child’s social and emotional skills.

Autism Cognitive Development

Cognitive Development is the process of how the brain works, retains and delivers information. Memorization, understanding, thinking and even identification are four great examples of cognitive development. Your child will remember how much fun he or she had playing on a specific toy and seek it daily. This is an example of memorizing the toy and identifying it.

Toys that Calm Autistic Children

Toys that calms an Autistic child are definitely sensory-stimulating toys. From experiencing first-hand, sensory toys offer Autistic children the opportunity to explore their senses. Sensory stimulating toys stimulate your child’s vision, touch, taste, and auditory system.

For example: You will notice your child’s agitated behavior transform into a calm, interactive, or engaged behave during contact with a sensory toy. This outcome is definitely a lifesaver at times.

The Best Autism Toys Guide

The best toys for Autistic children are dedicated to their specific preferences and needs. You now have all the insight you need to find the best toys for your Autistic child. The list below includes developmental, sensory, learning, and more to help you find the best toy for your Autistic child. Here is the best toy guide for Autistic children to help your get started!

Autism Swing Hammock

The Best Autism Toys Guide for Autistic Children — Swing Hammock

An Autism swing hammock is a great sensory resource. It can spin, swing and be present as a hideaway. Definitely a great sensory retreat for Autistic children.

Stretchy Autistic Body Sock

Stretchy Autistic body sock was specifically designed for Autistic children. Why? Children with Autism sometimes require compression to feel secure. Also physical extension and resistance to satisfy them externally in internally.

Autistic Peapod Sensory Inflatable

Peapods can offer the same sensory needs as above. However, the Autistic peapod is also a great calming toy. The compression on your child’s muscles can be soothing and help them feel secure. You can also use the peapod as a calming down space for your child.

Autism Indoor and Outdoor Trampoline

A trampoline for your Autistic children will eventually be your best friend. Jumping on a trampoline stimulates your child’s large muscles. This toy can be offered indoors during hot, indoors during cold days and also outdoors. The use of large motor activities can encourage a good night’s rest!

Autism Sensory Sit and Spin

The sensory spin and sit toy offer sensory stimulation in many ways. By using the spin and sit toy your child will receive sensory input from their vision. However, your child sees multiple objects moving at once stimulating their vision. This toy is also great to encourage developmental skills. Utilizing the hands and trunk of the body to spin encourages fine motor and large motor development.

Autism Stepping Stones

Balance stepping stones offer vision and body control. This sensory experience is great for learning how to control their body within their environment. Stepping stones are also a fun large motor activity your child can play indoors and outdoors.

Autism Turtle Stepping Stones

Turtle stepping stones have the same benefits as above. However, the texture of the turtle stepping stones is a little different. You can choose your design in relation to your child-specific preference. It’s also fun to be bare feet when playing on the stepping stones.

Autism Pretend Play: Shop N Learn

Shop N Learn

The shop and learn to pretend playset is a great way to practice interactive and communication skills. Your child is learning social skills either by pointing to the objects or vocalizing words. Shop and play involve a lot of objects which are great learning tools for speech and language development and object recognition. The shop and play offer the opportunity to explore, pretend and learn.

Autism Circular Balance Beam

Balance beams provide practice of eye and body coordination for Autistic children. However, this beam is circular and encourages your child to control their body and balance themselves in a circular motion.

Autism Suction Toys

Suction toys are great toys for children with Autism. My daughter absolutely loves Squizs. Squizs offer a variety of sensory inputs. However, pulling them apart stimulates tactile and auditory needs. Your child will use their muscles and strength to pull the Squigz apart and the suction sound can also be satisfying for your child’s auditory needs. Squigz can also strengthen muscles in your child’s hands and wrist. The force of pulling them apart is also satisfying. The use of hand and the force of pulling the Squizs apart encourage fine motor development.

Autism Camp Out Tent Set

Pretend toys are essential to children with Autism. Some Autistic children struggle with pretend play. The camp-out toy is definitely a great motivator to encourage pretend play.

Autism Play Tent

Play tents are fun for pretend play and also a great getaway. Toys tents offer both. When your child is overstimulated by too much noise or motions, he or she can utilize their tent as their quiet retreat.

Pretend Play Kitcken Set

The pretend play kitchen set can encourage all areas of growth and development. Your child can pretend to prepare food for the family. They are opening and closing doors which is a great fine and large motor activity. The kitchen set also offers your child to play independently so you can get dinner ready as well.

Pretend Play Tool Workshop

The pretend play tool workshop is fun for kids to play independently are with a friend. Playing with friends encourages communication development. However, pretending with tools offers strengthening of the hands and wrist.

Sensory Stimulation Water Table

A water table is fun, sensory-stimulating and calming. Children love to splash, pour and watch the water. The water table comes with many utensils to offer your child the opportunity to pretend play and satisfy their sensory needs.

Small Motor Helping Hands Set

Helping hands are great tools to encourage fine motor development. This toy offers many ways to use your hand and practice building fine motor development. There are four different tools that stimulate and target muscles in your child’s small muscles.

Autism Speech Motivator Microphone

Microphones are one of my favorite speech and language motivators. Your child can practice sounds and pretend to sing. The goal of the microphone is to encourage vocal sounds. Children also love hearing their voices which is even more motivating.

Sensory Stimulating Paint Easel

Painting is a tactile and visually stimulating activity. It’s also messy and fun. Painting is definitely a resource utilized frequently in our home. My daughter loves it. You can offer painting as a reward or already include it in your child’s daily schedule. Many children become relaxed during painting. It’s also great to offer when your child is having a challenging day.

Autism Object and Flashcard Recognition

Autism object recognition with flashcards and objects is one of the best ways to teach Autistic children. Here you have both images and objects your child can see and feel the actual object. Your child’s specific learning needs can be met with tactile and visual learning resources.

Sensory Stimulating Kinetic Sand

Sensory stimulating kinetic sand is a must-have. My daughter has the same sensory experience with painting, water play as she does with kinetic sand. Kinetic sand is self-soothing and satisfying. My daughter would always migrate to the sand at the park or to the dirt in the yard. I wanted her to have the opportunity to play with sand indoors as well as outside. This is when I decided to purchase kinetic sand. She really enjoys the texture and I also enjoy less of the mess compared to real sand. With that being said, kinetic sand is definitely a must-have for both of us.

Mr. Potato Head and Family

Mr. Potato head alone is one of the best inventions for a child to learn their body part and basic first words. He alone assisted me with teaching my daughter her body parts, senses and more. Discover how to utilize Mr. Potato Head to build communication skills for your child here. However, he now has a wife and child that offers more words for children to learn. Mr. Potato’s head and his family are perfect motivators for object recognition and communication development.

Wait there’s more!!! Inserting the objects into the head is a great way to practice building your child’s fine motor skills.

Sensory Stimulating Play Doh

Playdough is also a must-have. You can teach your child words like in, out, push, pull which is great for communication development. You can also use playdough cards to teach alphabets, shapes and numbers to your child. You can encourage pretend play by creating animals and objects. Playdough is also a wonderful resource to develop fine motor skills and satisfy sensory needs.

Fidget Pop Sensory Blocks

Fidget pop sensory blocks help build fine motor development. It’s fun and colorful to your child’s eye. A great toy for independent play as well as with a friend. The fidget is offered in the center of the block as a sensory stimulator which makes the blocks even more appealing.

Sensory Stimulating Spinners

Sensory stimulating spinners target a child’s visual and tactile sensory needs. The flashing and colorful lights are vision stimulators that are visually satisfying for children who seek colorful, bright or flashing lights.

Sensory Stimulating Stress Squishy

Squishy stress balls can be utilized independently by your child. Car rides and crowds are our most needed places for the use of stress balls. Stress balls are colorful and satisfying to squeeze.

Tactile Sensory Tubes

Tactile sensory tubes are fun and include the use of your child’s fine motor skills. The sound of pulling the tubes apart satisfies auditory sensory needs. The tubes are long, colorful and a fun independent toy for Autistic children.

Position Word Activity Set

“Learning Resource Store” has a ton of great learning toys for Autistic children. Fox in the box encourages turn-taking and instruction following. These skills are great skills your child can practice with this game. The objects included are great for Autistic children to process the actual purpose of an object.

Autism Developmental Lace and Stack Activity

Here is another great eye and hand coordination toy that also encourages fine motor development. Threading the string requires your child’s focus to get the strings inside the wholes. Focus and concentration are uses of cognitive development.

Bing Bag Chair

Bing bags are fun and great crash pads for Autistic children. Your child can sit and relax on their bing bag chair. You can also offer it as a calming chair when your child is having a challenging day.

Developmental Wall Panel Activity

Your developmental wall panel is great for building all areas of your child’s developmental skills. The use of their hands is one of the many ways to strengthen your child’s hand and wrist muscles. Cognitive skills are also a practice target within this activity panel. Your child will use their thinking skill to figure out how to operate the toy.

Express My Feelings Mirror

Autistic children find expressing their emotions challenging and seeing themselves in a mirror can help. See My Feeling Mirror offers your child to visually utilize the mirror and practice making facial expressions. This can help your child understand and express their feelings.