Product Description

Children with special needs need special toys to help them realize their full potential. The author's experiences in the children's ward and as a home tutor culminated in three very successful Editions of Play Helps. An established source-book for parents, therapists, teachers and others helping children with special needs, the 4th Edition continues this innovative and easy access approach.

Everyone working with children with special needs - parents, therapists, toy librarians, teachers, health visitors, playgroup leaders, child minders and all who play with children in hospitals, hostels or at home will find this book indispensable.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #438187 in Books
• Published on: 1996-09-26
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

About the Author
Roma Lear, a Froebel-trained teacher, started her carer by teaching childrenin hospital wards. Her innate creativity and enthusiasm led her to devise toys and games with which to hold the interest of sick, and often bed-bound children. While raising her own family, she first became involved in playgroups,then established the Kingston Toy Library and later became a Home Tutor for children with special needs.

Customer Reviews

An idea for every situation
This book is an excellent resourse for the use of play in educating a child. The author has an amazing creative aptitude which enables her to design stimulating toys for any potential development at any level. The toys she uses are normally cheap to make and accessable to all but also included are detailed instructions on producing more permanent and complex resourses.

The book contains a wealth of information relating to a childs senses and these range from very basic sense stimulation to toys facilitating skill development. The ideas are broad and varied so that it would be applicable to all and useful over a long period of time.

The criticisms I would have are that the toys are very specific in their use so may need adapting if a child had a slightly different need. (I found that the author inspired me to have a go at designing something to meet my particular requirements.)Also that the book is presented in such a way that each individual sense chapter needs looking at as a whole to discover something relevant to you.

In summary I would class this book as a great resourse for someone willing to take time to make and use toys tailored to the needs of their child.