Social Skills for kids on the spectrum

An interesting article on autism by Moira Lewis, MS, CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist, is worth a read.  She discusses how children with ASD (autism spectrum disorders) can be helped to develop social skills through therapy, peer mentors and social stories.

Please know that Discovery Toys is very interested in children on the spectrum, as you can see by the codes a - f on the toys listed in our catalog.  The 6 skills generally lacking in children with autism are shown here.  Once you identify the child's areas of weakness, you can use that code to find toys that will be helpful.  For example, a child who has difficulty talking about their play experiences, code "d," may benefit from Item #2240, Flip Flop Faces- Emotions in Motion. Playing with Flip Flop Faces, children begin to understand facial expressions while they develop gross motor skills and coordination. The game encourages cooperative play, color and word recognition, and social awareness. Includes 6 target bowls and 6 bean bags labeled with emotions that add up to one great party game. The DT Activity Guide is in English & French.  For French speakers, #2185 is the French version of the same game.

"King" Colin & stuttering

I'm a huge movie fan, and the Academy Awards ceremony is a must-see for me every year.   Many seem to feel that The King's Speech has a good chance of garnering many of the 12 awards for which it's been nominated.  But the folks at the Stuttering Foundation are so enamored of it that they want the film to be used as a teaching tool for those working in the speech-language pathology realm.  Read this charming interview with Jane Fraser, the president of the Stuttering Foundation.  If you're a Colin Firth fan, you'll find some great pics of him there, too.  Good luck on Sunday night, "King" Colin!

Children with Special Needs

Many parents and teachers of differently-abled children enjoy using Discovery Toys. They are beneficial for children with a variety of delays because they are multi-sensory. No matter which sense needs improvement...sight, hearing, touch, speech/oral...one of our products may be helpful in the earliest years. Occupational therapists, physical therapists and speech pathologists utilize DT products. Read more here: Discovery Toys and Special Needs