Finding enjoyable ways for children to play is an ongoing challenge for all parents. What kind of toys to select? How to play together and alone? What to choose next? Play is

a critical component of childhood. However, children with disabilities may have difficulty interacting with objects and people due to the barriers that their disabilities present.

Assistive Technology (AT) has been used to provide new opportunities for children with disabilities to interact with and control their environment. AT can provide the means to help them particiapate in the kinds of activities found in the activities and routines that make up their  normal environment. This then promotes a proactive attitude of “I can do it!”, leading to increased initiation attempts and a sense of empowerment.

By finding ways for successful interactions early in life, we can help children expand their existing abilities into more complex behaviors. Using switches with toys develop play skills that include: turning them on and off, moving them for social and communicative purposes, making choices to indicate preferences and just having fun!

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Switches

Using switches with toys is a great place to start for children with disabilities. For children with physical disabilities, a single, reliable movement can cause a toy to move. Children with sensory impairments learn that they can be the controlling source of sound, light and vibration; and those with cognitive impairments are able to interact with toys and computers with a single “button”, limiting the need for more complex directions.

Switches come in all shapes and sizes. More than 700 different switches are available! Switches are often activated by the hand or arm, but can be used with any body part. To independently use a switch, a child must be able to voluntarily move any single body part with large or small movements. Switches can be used with most things electronic, including devices that work with batteries or that plug in. Switches can be used to turn things on and off such as a battery-operated toy, radio or fan. With different interfaces, the same switches can also control more complex electronics such as computers, telephones, and environmental systems.