Did you know that 1 in 150 children have this disorder? Discovery Toys partnered with the famous Princeton Child Development Institute to address the increasing concern about autism. There are 6 basic areas of need in children with autism that have been identified by Dr. Patricia Krantz.

A. Toys to develop independent play with some limited instruction.

Children with autism often have difficulty playing independently. They need toy choices that can be enjoyed following some initial instruction. Often memory recall can become an issue, as can the inverse, excessive repetition.

TODDLER TALK, the interactive voice-recording phone, can prompt the child to play. Other product selections are:
ABC & 123 WIPE CLEAN WORK BOOKS** BRIGHT BUILDERS** CASTLE MARBLEWORKS** FLIP FLOP FACES** GO GO CATERPILLAR** HAMMER AWAY!** JAW BONES** MARBLEWORKS** MOSAIC MYSTERIES** MY BUSY DAY** PLACE & TRACE** PROGRESSIVE PUZZLES** TRICKY FINGERS** ZIP TRACK

B. Toys that promote sustained engagement.

Building up the length of time that any child focuses on an activity is important and great products facilitate this skill building. For a child with autism, this is especially true. Toys that can be played over and over with a slightly different pattern or result are great for keeping your child engaged and interested.
BATHTIME BUGS** CASTLE MARBLEWORKS** FASHION FRIENDS** GEAROPOLIS** GIANT PEGBOARD** HAMMER AWAY!** JAW BONES** PLAYFUL PATTERNS** PLAY & LEARN SNAIL** SUNSHINE MARKET** ZIP TRACK

C. Toys that build skills for cooperative play.

All children have to be taught to cooperate with peers. With children with autism, the temptation to reside in a world of their own is very common. Awareness and necessity to share, communicate and take account of other's actions can be built with great toys that encourage cooperative play.
FLIP FLOP FACES** WIZ KIDZ** ZINGO!

D. Toys that create opportunities for children to talk about their play experience.

Engaging the child with autism in play with any Discovery Toys product provides fuel for communication. That is why we encourage parents to play with their children; it simply multiplies the learning possibilities and builds communication and relationships.
A B SEAS** AHOY, PIRATE PETE** BILINGUAL SONGS ENGLISH/SPANISH** DEAR TOOTH FAIRY** MEASURE UP! Cups** MY BUSY DAY** ONCE UPON A TIME** ZOOMOBILES** PROGRESSIVE PUZZLES** ROLL & PLAY** THE POTTY TRAIN** TODDLER TALK** TRAFFIC JAMS** WORKING TRIO

E. Toys with obvious completion criteria.

The ritualistic and repetitive behavior often seen in children with autism may deprive them of understanding when a task is completed; thus missing an essential sense of accomplishment. Suggestions to foster completion awareness include:
ABC & 123 WIPE CLEAN WORK BOOKS** IT'S A MATCH!** MOSAIC MYSTERIES** MOTOR WORKS** PLAYFUL PATTERNS** PROGRESSIVE PUZZLES** ONE ODD OLD OWL** PUZZLE ISLAND** TRICKY FINGERS

F. Toys that encourage pretend play.

Some children find pretend play comes naturally, others need to be shown how to develop make-believe games, and children with autism tend to be among those needing a little help. Here are some suggestions to help your child learn pretend play:
AHOY, PIRATE PETE** DEAR TOOTH FAIRY** JAW BONES** ONCE UPON A TIME** ZOOMOBILES** ROLL & PLAY** ZIP TRACK