Having a child with special needs, means they may need a set of special toys.

When my son was diagnosed as developmentally delayed right before he turned 4, I turned to the internet to find and research everything I could to assist him to grow academically and socially.

I decided to compile a list of toys for kids with special needs that I not only used with my son, but that I now use in my resource classroom.

*This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you!

The Best Toys for Kids with ADD or ADHD

Kids with ADD or ADHD have a tough time keeping still and concentrating on a specific task. Some of them have a lot of trouble learning new things or accomplishing schoolwork because of this.

Investing in some toys for kids with ADD or ADHD can help them work through their attention problems and learn how to focus. Kinetic sand is a great toy for those with ADD and ADHD.

It’s textured and easy to use. It stays moist without having a slick or oily feel. It doesn’t stick to hands or furniture and it’s relatively easy to clean up. The texture is also very soothing on hands and it’s nice for kids who feel like they need to fidget or constantly play with something.

When kids with ADD or ADHD have something to move around in their hands, they often have an easier time concentrating on other things. Brain Food is another toy that can keep hands busy during activities that require the child to sit still, like schoolwork or a lesson.

Brain food is similar to putty but without being sticky or wet. It’s dry to the touch and you can mold it or pull it apart. It always goes back to its original form when you put it back together.

It helps build motor skills and strengthen hands as well. Another toy that’s excellent for kids with ADD or ADHD is Nanoblocks Sites to See. There are several different sites you can purchase, like the Sydney Opera House, the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, and Castle Neuschwanstein.

The instructions allow kids to build miniature replicas of these famous landmarks and it doesn’t take too long to get it completed. If your kid wants something bigger than a small replica, try a Roylco straws and connectors jumbo set.

The straws are eight inches long so there’s plenty of length to build something big. The set works well to keep hands busy and it can be played with on the child’s own or with a friend or parent.

The straws and connectors come in different colors and are easy to snap together and take apart. There’s no end to what can be built with these, including building a small house and tossing a sheet over it to make a tent. Not only is it good for helping to lengthen attentions spans, it also teaches kids about architectural designs and spatial designs.

Toys That Are Best for Autistic Children

When it comes to buying toys for children with autism, make sure to focus on toys that will stimulate their senses. Because most kids with autism have sensory problems, they have to be introduced to tangible things in a non-threatening way and in such a way that they can understand and remember.

Kids with autism sometimes have a difficult time with social interactions. Board games are an excellent way to teach children about sharing, taking turns, and listening to others.

Give Me 5 is a board game with eight different categories for social skills. The categories are targeted to help kids learn about themselves and each other. For example, some of the categories include calming emotions, the big picture, what others are thinking and self-presentation.

The game uses role-playing and visual cues to analyze social scenarios that kids may come across, or have already come across. The game is intended for ages eight and up.

You can also check out construction sets or LEGO blocks that allow kids to build houses, buildings and more. There are sets where a child can build a castle or airplane.

Building things helps a child learn to work with instructions and directions to get a desired result. A lot of kids with autism have a hard time following verbal instructions so learning to work on building something can help increase the child’s awareness of needing to follow directions.

A lot of kids with autism have difficulty learning words for senses. 3D Feel and Find by Guide Craft is a great toy for those who have problems with the senses, particularly the touch sense.

Feel and Find comes with twenty multi-colored wooden blocks that are shapes, people, or animals as well as the wooden panels that match them. With Feel and Find, the multi-colored blocks are put in a bag and your child pulls out one of the shapes and matches it with a wooden shape.

Being able to identify a shape by the feel rather than by sight of it will help your child learn and memorize what they are.  Another great toy to use is Melissa and Doug’s sandwich stacking game.

This can be played alone or with a partner. The game comes with twenty cards and fourteen sandwich fillings along with four slices of bread. The bread is designed to be used as gloves, but they don’t have to be worn if the child doesn’t want to.

The child looks at a card that has a sandwich designed on it and then uses the picture on the card to design a sandwich of his or her own. The child can design the sandwiches on his own or two children can race each other to get their sandwich done first.

Toys for Kids with Speech and Language Disabilities or Delays

Kids who have speech and language disabilities have a hard time learning things that other kids are learning at the same age. One of the best ways to help them understand words, colors, and phrases better is by investing in toys that will allow them to learn how to pronounce words in an easier way.

Wooden block letter sets are some of the best used toys for children with speech and language disabilities. There are several different ways you can use letter blocks to help kids.

Many wooden letter blocks have pictures of items that begin with the letter for that object on the other sides. For example, the letter A might have a picture of an apple, ape, or ant.

Letter blocks that come with pictures help the child to remember the letter and what words it can be used to start. You can also purchase wooden blocks with numbers on them. Melissa & Doug has a fifty piece set of letter and number blocks that helps children learn.

Magnetic letters are perfect for kids who need a little bit of help in the speech and language area. Magnetic letters allow your child to keep the letters on a magnetic board or the refrigerator and rearrange them as they learn.

It’s best to get letters that are brightly colored because it makes learning more fun. Another great toy to help your child learn is See and Spell by Melissa & Doug.

It comes with sixteen wooden pictures with empty spaces where letters should be. For example, the toy comes with a wooden piece with a picture of a frog on it. Next to the picture is the word “frog” spelled out in the empty space.

The child finds the letters that match with the hollowed out space and places them inside, creating the word that matches with the picture. This is a fun way for a child to work on memorization skills and learning words that fit with pictures.

If your child learns better by hearing first, check out the LeapFrog Text and Learn toy. Kids can press a letter button on the keyboard and the toy will call out words that begin with that letter as well as words that rhyme with it.

It also has educational games that help kids learn how to spell small words and sound out letters. The Text and Learn toy is perfect for kids with speech and language disabilities because it helps kids learn how letters and words are pronounced. It’s great for those kids who love to play with cell phones or love noise makers.

Toys for Kids with Sensory Integration Disorder

Moon sand is among the highest rated toys for kids with sensory integration disorder. Moon sand doesn’t dry out and is light to the touch. It can be used several times over and it’s safe to sanitize it if you need to.

Moon sand also comes in several different colors including white, blue, purple, and pink. It’s great for kids who shy away from touching anything and ones who love to pick up everything in sight.

For a toy that’s better for developing motor skills, check out a Koosh ball. Koosh balls are squeezable and are also used as stress balls. They’re about three inches in diameter, so they’re great even for littler kids, but only recommended for those who are three or older.

It contains natural latex rubber so it has a nice feel and smell to it. Koosh balls come in several different colors and designs so kids can have their pick of them. Another type of ball to look into is a Sensory ball.

Sensory balls are similar to Koosh balls, but they’re not as soft. Sensory balls are more for bouncing and they’re bigger than something a toddler could squeeze. The unique texture that the balls have is perfect for kids of all ages and work well with games like monkey in the middle.

They can also be used for juggling and playing a game of catch as well. They come in different colors and sizes. For those who don’t want to play with a ball, but need something for their hands, Perplexus is a toy to check out.

It’s a puzzle inside of a sphere that you have to solve by turning and flipping the sphere. There are several different puzzles to purchase, including one called an Epic one that has been labeled as one of the most difficult ones to solve.

Perplexus puzzles help kids develop dexterity and motor skills as well as hand-eye coordination. Because the sphere is smooth, it‘s perfect for those who don’t want a lot of texture on their toys

For younger kids with sensory integration disorder, there’s the Kidoozie Hop and Squeak pogo jumper. This pogo jumper comes with comfort grip handles and can be used both indoor and outdoor. Even though it’s in the children’s section, it can be used by teenagers also.

The jumpers have wide bottoms so kids won’t have to fight to keep their balance when using them. The jumpers hold up to 250 pounds so any kid can enjoy a turn on it. It works great for high sensory seekers and kids who have low muscle tone.

Toys for Hearing or Vision Impaired Kids

Kids who have hearing or vision impairment find it more difficult to play some of the same games that other kids play. They also have a hard time when playing with certain toys.

There are plenty of games and toys you can invest in that will help kids with impairments to be able to learn and have fun at the same time. Tobbles are little spheres that come in packs of six.

Kids can balance and stack them anyway they please. They’re brightly colored, which makes it better for the vision impaired. They’re weighted and have two different textures.

Tobbles are great for kids to learn about different colors as well as size sequencing. They help teach kids patience as well as improve motor skills. LEGO Duplo is another colorful toy you’ll want to invest in.

LEGO Duplo help to teach kids their sizes, colors and shapes with all the different blocks and scenes. You can buy several of these and each one is unique with different scenes including, my first fire station, my first garden, and my first circus.

The blocks can be put together by two or more people but can also be put together by one child. The toy promotes imaginative play, but doesn’t involve a lot of talking.

For children that are hearing impaired, there’s a great set of sign language letters that can help them to be able to master sign language. WonderFoam Magnetic Sign Language Letters have red vowels and blue consonants. They can be used by children as young as three.

Silly Faces Magnetic Fun sets allow kids to make faces using the different characteristics included in each tin that you purchase. They can create faces with mustaches, glasses, hats, noses and more.

The Learning Journey Learn with Me Color Fun Fish Bowl has two different modes that are great for visually impaired kids. This toy teaches your child colors through sound. When a child puts the colorful fish into the fishbowl, the bowl announces the color.

Another great toy is the Learning Journey Count & Learn Cookie Jar. This toy has two modes that will teach children about their numbers. This speak aloud toy lest kids learn counting skills. It enables them to sharpen their problem solving skills.

LeapFrog Letter Factory Phonics is great for visually impaired children. This toy comes with all the letters of the alphabet and each of the letters sings its name as it’s put into the letter factory. This teaches children phonics and helps them to learn letters based on feeling the shape of the letter.

Final Thoughts

Having toys for special needs kids can be a very therapeutic and rewarding experience. It may time some patience to find the right one, but this list will hopefully get you on the right track.

Let me know if you tried anything from this list or have something to add. I appreciate all feedback!