How to Make Your Own Adapted Switch Toys – Video

How to Make Your Own Adapted Switch Toys

For those that are comfortable with a needle, thread, and soldering iron, you can save a lot of money by converting your own toys for use with adaptive switches with this instructional video from Children’s Care Hospital and School in Sioux Falls. Arlen Klamm, Assistive Technology Coordinator, providers step-by-step instructions to adapt any electronic plush toy to work with a variety of adaptive switches.

For more information on Children’s Care, visit: http://www.cchs.org/.

Making Sure Kids With Special Needs Get Toys, Too

Making Sure Kids With Special Needs Get Toys, Too – Ohio State University Medical Center (video transcript available at: http://www.msmediacenter.tv/story.php?id=13&enter=2)

The Toy and Technology Library in association with the Ohio State University Medical Center is a lending library for adaptive toys for children with special needs. Adaptive toys traditionally are more expensive than standard toys. By providing a free toy-lending service, parents can try out toys prior to purchase and work with a therapist to create an educational play environment.

Toy lending libraries are ideal additions to biomedical libraries in children’s hospitals, and have actually been around for decades in numerous countries. The University of Nottingham’s Toy Library was founded in 1970 while researching the development of play in children with disabilities, and remains active today. Child development case studies are taken when a family applies for membership; and both children and parents are provided with education and referrals to support the entire family. (1)

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(1) Head J. A toy library service for handicapped children. Proc R Soc Med 1975 Jan;68(1):42. Available from:  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1863724/