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White Hutchinson Leisure & Learning Group, Kansas City, MO, USA

AblePlay™ Helps Evaluate Toys for Children with Special Needs

Choosing toys can be difficult. There are thousands of choices, but finding just the right match for a child with varying abilities can be a challenge. Getting “beyond the box” to understand the product features, ways it can be adapted, unconventional ways to use the items, even knowing how many pieces are in box can be the key to unlocking the magic of play for a child.

Professionals serving children with special needs have their expertise to guide them, but oftentimes they lack the time to search for the best products. Many professionals have told us that they want to find the best toys out there, toys that are new to the market. This resource helps them find those items without searching stores or web browsers. AblePlay™ does all of the work.

AblePlay™ breaks down information into disability categories -- physical, sensory communicative and cognitive -- in order to help parents and professionals get more customized information. The AblePlay Rating™ gives a snapshot of an evaluated toy. The comprehensive AblePlay™ Product Reviews give a great wealth of information about the product and its use for children with special needs.

Developed by the National Lekotek Center, the leading nonprofit authority on play for children with disabilities, AblePlay™ will provide parents, and the professionals who work with them, access to the most useful, product-specific information about the top play and learning products for children with disabilities.

All AblePlay™ evaluators have degrees in special education, early childhood education, or related therapeutic disciplines and have been previously certified by the National Lekotek Center to provide hands-on direct services to children with special needs and their families in Lekotek play centers.

All evaluators have been specially trained using the official AblePlay™ evaluation tool and execute each important step in the evaluation process. The AblePlay™ evaluation process is designed to ensure an independent and detailed assessment of the each play product. More information can be found at www.ableplay.org.

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