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Join Date: Jan 2009
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01-19-2009, 03:01 PM
I have been closely involved with people who have disabilities, both as a family member and as a professional, for more than 40 years. Most of the time, the classic toys are appropriate, and educational, for all kids, whether or not they have a disability. Blocks, Legos, K'Nex, any kind of stacking, building, or construction gives practice in motor planning and fine motor. Dolls, cars&trucks, play kitchens with dishes&toy food - all these give an opportunity for motor development as well as imaginative play. Simple games like Lucky Ducks, Barnyard Bingo, and Hungry Hippos are still a hit with my 5 to 8-year-old students, who are classified as severely disabled; they practice preacademic skills such as color matching and social skills such as turn taking when playing.Art materials of all sorts are excellent - painting with fingers, brushes, feathers, forks, marbles; playdough activities using hands, rolling pins, objects to press into the dough, etc.; coloring with crayons, markers, and chalk; cutting and gluing; just remember that the point is for the child to experience the process, not to produce a masterpiece.Blowing soap bubbles appeals to almost every child, and it can be a great activity to help develop the oral motor skills needed for speech when the child has to control his breath to make a bubble. And chasing the bubbles, and popping them, is a fun gross and fine motor activity.Drawing in shaving cream is fun, smells good, gives practice in prewriting skills, and is easy to clean up.My students love using a toy hammer to pound golf tees into styrofoam. (We use the pieces that come as packing material.)All human beings respond to music and rhythm. Even children with profound hearing impairments respond to the vibrations of the stereo speakers. At school, I play a wide variety of music while the kids are working at their desks, and we sing and dance every day. You can adapt all kinds of songs to make them relevant to your child and your situation. Singing also helps speech development. I have had a number of students who learned to sing first and then to speak. We also play simple instruments such as drums, tambourines, bells, etc.Lights of various sorts are also cool. I string different kind of decorative lights each month - fruit, pumpkins&ghosts, turkeys, etc. etc. We also play a game where we darken the room and I shine a flashlight on the floor, urging each child in turn to step on the light, or touch it with their hands, or sit on it, etc.Balls and balloons are fun for all sorts of activities, including visual tracking as well as the motor aspects.These are all traditional, readily available items that are appropriate for any child, no matter the age or developmental level.If you are talking about a child with profound cognitive disabilties as well as significant motor impairment, many of these activities are still appropriate with modifications. Any child with vision will respond to lights and bubbles, and any child with hearing will respond to musical input. You may also want to check out the catalogs (available online) for Abilitations and Sportime, which have an incredible selection of items. They are not cheap, but often I have gotten some great ideas from them for things I could make or modify for my students.I hope I have given you some useful ideas!
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