Effects of ordinary and adaptive toys on preschool.pdfVIP

Research in Developmental Disabilities 29 (2008) 459–466 Effects of ordinary and adaptive toys on pre-school children with developmental disabilities Hsieh-Chun Hsieh * Department of Special Education, National Hsinchu University of Education, No. 521 Nanda Road, 300 Hsinchu City, Taiwan, ROC Received 8 August 2007; received in revised form 15 August 2007; accepted 28 August 2007 Abstract Toys help children in mastering developmental tasks. This study investigated toy effect on children with developmental disabilities as they engage in using ordinary and adaptive toys. A single-subject design was used to identify the effects on their toy play abilities. Differences in toy effects between playing ordinary and adaptive toys were examined. Three special education teachers chose ordinary toys and modified ordinary toys. Modified ordinary toys, i.e., adaptive toys, were designed according to the individual disabilities of participating children, treatment goals, and the toy types. Three children with developmental disabilities from pre-schools in Taiwan were enrolled. Appropriate participation of three pre-schoolers increased dramatically in playing adaptive toys during intervention phase. The toy effects demonstrate that when using adaptive toys, children with developmental disabilities may response better during toy play sessions. # 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Adaptive toys; Early intervention; Play; Developmental disabilities; Single-subject design 1. Introduction and literature review 1.1. Toy function for children with developmental disabilities As facilitators of play, the special education teacher must consider a variety of factors, including the unique capabilities of the child, the adaptation of toys and materials, and