AblePlay Toy Rating System
AblePlay is a toy rating system and website that provides comprehensive information on toys for children with special needs. A strong rating in any category makes the product a good toy. Very few toys have strong ratings in all categories. Most toys score strongly in one area as toys have different areas of emphasis. For example, a child with a sensory disability such as a visual impairment may not benefit as much from a board game that has read-only cards. But this toy may be a great game for a child with a cognitive disability such as learning delays.
| Disability Category Explanation | |
| Physical Physical disabilities relate to children with disabilities affecting their motor systems. These can include skeletal, muscle, and joint abnormalities which in turn limit a child’s ability to move, stand, sit, play, or reach Some of the major physical disabilities are: - Cerebral Palsy - Muscular Dystrophy - Multiple Sclerosis - Spin Bifida - Paraplegia /Quadriplegia |
Cognitive These disabilities relate to a child’s inability to process information, reason, remember, and express emotions. Some major cognitive disabilities are: - Down Syndrome - Mental Retardation - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - Hydrocephalus - Attention Deficit Disorder/Hyperactivity Disorder - Learning Disabilities |
| Communicative These disabilities relate to a child’s inability to communicate verbally due to limited or altered comprehension and use of language Some major communicative disabilities are: - Autism / Pervasive Development Disorder - Speech and Language Delay - Stuttering |
Sensory These disabilities relate to a child’s ability to gather and understand information form the environment through any of the five senses Some of the major sensory disabilities are: - Hearing Impairment - Visual Impairment - Sensory Integration Disorder |