The BEST Autism Toys and How To Use Them

Free Workshop

Increase Talking &
Decrease Tantrums

in Young Children with

Autism &/or Speech Delays

Today Kelsey and I talk about a frequently asked question: What are the best toys for my autistic child? We go into some great toys as well as strategic ways to structure play to build joint attention as well as language and social skills.

Best Toys for Children with Autism

As always, start with assessment. Play and social skills are built-in pieces of our digital assessment, but you don’t have to stop there. A great way to assess your child is through observation. What kinds of leisure activities bring them joy? What activities are they drawn to? Dumping? Sorting? Peekaboo? You can pick toys and tailor joint activities to match up with these already preferred methods of play to make them engaging and language rich. Toys like potato heads, modified shoebox games, inset puzzles, magna doodles, and fake food are ones that you can make more fun with adult involvement.

Cause and Effect Toys for Autism

Cause and effect toys are great because they often have a purpose that autistic children may find more engaging and easier to repeat or imitate. These are toys like the ball and hammer game, the coin pig, games with magnets, peekaboo toys like Jack in the Box, wind up toys, and even games surrounding magnet blocks or Legos where you knock them down for a big crash!

How to Play with a Nonverbal Autistic Child

The truth is that it is less about the toy itself and more about HOW you play with it. The key is to ALWAYS make the toy more fun with adult involvement. You want the child to use the toy in a functional, language rich way. Make it fun, make it silly, and use the one word three times to pair up language as much as possible. Adding bubbles to any activity can add language and excitement! When you stay engaged in a toy and game together, you create a desire for play and more chances for language, even requesting things like “again” and “more”.

During our conversation, we talk about hands on toys like Play-Doh and the potential for creation and language, as well as getting prepared for pretend play! You might introduce a play kitchen or play sink (Kelsey shares a great functional one), model activities your child already sees you do, and introduce small components at a time! With autistic children, it’s likely that natural play is not just going to start spontaneously. So keep your play area organized and save toys like the ones mentioned in today’s episode for use only with you, another adult, or an older sibling!

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You’ll Learn

The best toys for children with autism.
The best cause and effect toys.
How to play with a nonverbal autistic child.
How to build language and joint attention through play?
How to make toys MORE fun with a parent.
How to prepare your child for pretend play.

Resources