Toys for autistic children

It can be frustrating finding toys for an autistic child until you figure out what engages them, what may seem amazing to a neurotypical kid will be utterly dull or pointless to a neurodiverse kid and vice versa. One of the signs that added to my suspicion that my daughter was autist was that my daughter didn’t show any interest in toys until quite late.

It is tricky when children are young as toys are very age specific but once they get to around 3-4 years old some toys are much less age-specific. I now try to invest in toys that my daughter may use for a long time or can put away for a year and still enjoy when she’s older. How she plays with some toys will change as she grows. Open-ended toys such as Magformers and Grimms Rainbow are great for this reason.

I have collected a range of toy ideas in different categories based on my experience and what I have seen other people suggest.