6 Best Sensory Toys for Kids With Autism UK 2024 | Glowart, Chewigem and More
Great care must be taken when selecting a toy for a child on the autistic spectrum. While the wrong type of toy can lead to disinterest or even distress, the right one can soothe, relax, and educate. It's crucial, therefore, that you find a toy that provides your child with the right kind of sensory information.
Fortunately, there is now a wide range of toys to accommodate any sensory diet, but that doesn’t mean they're easy to find, and parents will often need to sift through a lot of unsuitable products before they find a good fit. Luckily, we’ve done the hard work for you, and drafted a handy buying guide as well as a list of the best autism-friendly toys to buy online from Amazon.
Quick List - Top Sensory Toys for Kids With Autism
Abzel
A Varied Set Full of Intriguing Shapes and Stress Relievers
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Table of Contents
- How to Choose Sensory Toys for Kids With Autism in the UK – Buying Guide
- Know What Senses a Toy Will Appeal to Before You Buy1
- For Relief and a Safe Space When Your Child Is Overstimulated, Look to Tents and Blankets2
- Find an Autism-Friendly Toy That Educates While It Entertains3
- Consider the Toy's Portability to Provide Fun and Comfort, Wherever You Go4
- What Are Sensory Toys and How Does Sensory Play Help Autism?
- More Autism-Friendly Products
- Summary
How to Choose Sensory Toys for Kids With Autism in the UK – Buying Guide
Choosing a toy for an autistic child requires great care, but luckily, it’s not too difficult once you know what you’re looking for. Start by considering things such as your child’s current favourite toys and playing styles, and if they have a sensory diet, what types of toys will fit well within this. Read our buying guide to find out more.
Know What Senses a Toy Will Appeal to Before You Buy
For the majority of autistic children, play centres around the stimulation of one or more of the five senses, and even autistic kids without SPD love interacting with toys that present a range of novel sensory experiences. It’s crucial, however, that you strike the right balance to avoid distress and overwhelm. First and foremost, then, you should choose a toy by the sense it stimulates.
Bright Colours and Light Effects Are Great for Visual Stimulation
When it comes to kids that love visual stimulation, look for things that spin, light up, or flash. Bouncy balls with flashing lights are always fun, and anything artistic that features lots of different colours (such as Glow Art drawing boards, which allow your child to create neon-coloured art) are excellent too.
Calming light projectors are great for more soothing visual effects, as is anything that creates slow and constant movement such as a motion lamp, lava lamp, or liquid timer.
Toys such as water beads combine visual effects with tactile stimulation – your child can enjoy watching the intriguing movement of the beads as they roll them through their hands.
Use Toys to Create Sounds That Are Calming and Soothing
With autistic children, it’s always better to opt for gentler, more soothing sounds. White noise, classical music, and sounds designed for mindful relaxation are always great for helping a child feel safe and avoiding overstimulation.
That said, noises that your child can manipulate and have control over can be great fun too. The novel sounds created with noise putty can appeal to autistic children, as can many musical instruments – particularly anything that can be hit, such as drums and boomwhackers!
Get Creative When Looking for Toys With Interesting Smells
It’s significantly more difficult to find toys that appeal to the olfactory senses, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. Scented doughs and putties can be enjoyed while your child pulls and stretches them into interesting shapes, and there are even many that feature naturally-made smells.
Other products that aren’t necessarily toys but have smells that can be appreciated include scented markers and certain essential oils. Always use these with care, however, and ensure that your child is supervised while enjoying them.
Chewable Toys Are Great for Providing Oral Input
Oral input is obtained primarily through chewing, so any toy designed for this use is perfect for exciting the oral senses. Chewable necklaces, for example, are great for providing something to chew that your child can carry at all times.
Other activities that involve the use of the mouth, such as blowing bubbles, or whistles and horns are great too, as are the interesting sensations provided by an electric toothbrush.
Toys Can Offer a Range of Intriguing and Pleasurable Textures for the Hands
Fortunately for children with a need for tactile stimulation, there are tons of toys available which offer a range of interesting and novel textures.
Toys such as playdough and stress balls are great for squeezing, while finger paints are a great way of using the hands to get creative. There are also plenty of toy sets out there that offer a wide range of interesting textures, all within one package.
You can even find toys that offer tactile input while also stimulating other senses. Lego bricks are great for building hand-to-eye coordination, and putty, as well as being fun to touch, can also be used to create entertaining noises. If your child appreciates a range of sensory inputs, there’s plenty of scope for getting creative and combining them in this way.
For Relief and a Safe Space When Your Child Is Overstimulated, Look to Tents and Blankets
One of the most common, and effective, methods of achieving this is through the use of a sensory tent. Your child is simply able to climb inside and experience an instant reduction of noise and brightness.
Other toys aim to offer comfort by allowing your child to indulge in their favourite sensory activity. Sensory swings, for example, allow them to rock back and forth in a safe, enclosed space, while kneadable dough can be a gentle form of stress relief. Similarly, autistic children are greatly comforted by weighted blankets that offer deep pressure stimulation.
Find an Autism-Friendly Toy That Educates While It Entertains
Sensory toys are designed to stimulate one, or more, of the five senses, but that doesn’t mean they can’t educate as well. Many autism-friendly toys are designed to improve certain functions while your child plays.
There are plenty of toys available that can teach colours, shapes, and words in a manner that is exciting and appropriate for autistic children. If your child wants to harness their creative side, there are also options such as drawing boards, which will allow them to do so.
Amazingly, some toys can also enhance the physical development of autistic children. Swings, for example, offer vestibular and proprioceptive input by allowing the child to slowly rock back and forth. Both of these relate to receptors in the joints and ligaments, regular stimulation of which can improve balance, coordination and spatial awareness.
Consider the Toy's Portability to Provide Fun and Comfort, Wherever You Go
No child is predictable, and you never know when they might need comfort, or shelter from overstimulation. It’s therefore a great help if a toy can be taken with you wherever you go. Of course, portability is a matter of degrees – some toys are small enough for your child to carry around on their person, while others will require a sizable car boot.
The trick is to consider the purpose of the toy, and whether its size lends itself to this purpose – a toy that soothes will be much more effective if it’s small enough for your child to be able to carry it around with them rather than have to leave it at home, for example.
On the other hand, your child will hopefully be much more accepting if a large toy, that they play with only intermittently, can’t make the journey.
Top 6 Best Sensory Toys for Kids With Autism in the UK
Products | Image | Click to purchase | Key features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Abzel 23pc Sensory Fidget Stress Relief Toys | | A Varied Set Full of Intriguing Shapes and Stress Relievers | |
2 | Chewigem Chewable Necklace | | A Stylish and Discreet Chewable Necklace | |
3 | Modoh No Worries Aromatherapy Dough | | A Naturally Made Stress Reliever With a Calming Aroma | |
4 | Fat Brain Toys Dimpl Duo | | Brightly-Coloured Shapes Perfect for Tactile Exploration | |
5 | Harkla Sensory Swing | | A Sensory Swing That Calms and Improves Balance | |
6 | UOUNE LED Projector | | Turn Any Room Into a Canvas of Sound and Colour |
A Varied Set Full of Intriguing Shapes and Stress Relievers
This set of 23 fidget and stress relief toys is the ultimate selection of sensory toys, and children with a need for tactile stimulation will love the variety on offer. Intriguing shapes and textures are combined with lights to make a truly unique assortment that includes fidget spinners and squishies.
Each toy is non-toxic, and because they're so small, they're easily portable from place to place. Best of all, they're highly affordable, particularly for such a large number of toys. This set is a must-have for an autistic child, and that's why it's our number one.
A Stylish and Discreet Chewable Necklace
If your child has a sensory need to chew, it helps to have something readily available for them, whenever the need should arise. It doesn't get more convenient than this necklace, which they can carry with them wherever they go.
Its stylish design is discreet and inconspicuous, and it comes in a variety of exciting colours. There are cheaper versions available, but the quality and durability of Chewigem's offering is second to none.
A Naturally Made Stress Reliever With a Calming Aroma
There are a ton of putties and doughs available, but this one beats them all by being non-toxic and completely naturally derived. Rather than synthetic scents, it contains a blend of 100% natural essential oils, designed to calm. Kneading the dough also provides great stress relief.
Unfortunately, it will dry out eventually with regular use, but if played with for periods of ten minutes, Mohdoh estimates over 30 uses per pot, which isn't bad at all for the price.
Brightly-Coloured Shapes Perfect for Tactile Exploration
As far as tactile exploration goes, you don't get much better than this. This tablet-shaped toy features bright colours and embossed shapes and buttons that pop in and out. It even includes braille, so the visually-impaired need not be excluded.
Its large size means that this board is significantly less transportable than other, comparable toys, and it's a little on the pricey side, too. However, its benefits – particularly for the visually-impaired – make it worth it.
A Sensory Swing That Calms and Improves Balance
This sensory swing provides an enclosed space and a gentle deep pressure that provides a calming, hug-like effect. Its swinging also offers vestibular and proprioceptive input, both of which contribute towards an improvement in balance and spatial awareness.
Plus, it's machine-washable, it can support a weight of up to 150 lbs, and it even comes with a lifetime guarantee. Better still, 1% of all sales are donated to the Autism Center at the University of Washington.
Turn Any Room Into a Canvas of Sound and Colour
Children in need of auditory and visual stimulation will love this projector, which casts an amazing range of colours across the entire room, and can even play sound through the attached speaker. It features a remote to lower brightness settings, and would look incredible inside a sensory den.
It includes such a wide range of visuals and sounds, however, that it should only be used under supervision, in the event that a child should switch to a mode that causes them to feel distressed.
What Are Sensory Toys and How Does Sensory Play Help Autism?
Studies suggest that at least three-quarters of children on the autistic spectrum have some form of Sensory Processing Disorder. SPD can lead to intensely distressing reactions when a sufferer is exposed to an excess amount of a certain sensory stimulus, such as touch. Conversely, some with SPD crave a certain type of sensory information.
Sensory diets aim to help those with SPD function as comfortably as possible. They’re tailor-made by an occupational therapist to ensure that a child receives the appropriate amount of sensory information throughout their day. The desired result is improved focus, calmer feelings, and increased attention span.
As a simple and effective method of exposing a child to a specific stimulus, sensory toys are a great tool when used as part of a sensory diet. They are designed to stimulate each one of the five senses, meaning different ones can be used at different times of the day in accordance with this diet. For autistic children with and without SPD, sensory toys can be fun, soothing, and educational.
More Autism-Friendly Products
Every parent wants to do the best they can to make their child feel as happy as possible, whether it’s keeping them entertained or making them feel safe. Take a look at our handy buying guides for weighted blankets and fidget spinners – both of which are perfect for autistic kids.
Summary
Autism-friendly toys can make playtime fun for autistic kids and can bring peace of mind for parents. We hope this article has helped you find a toy that’ll make your child feel safe and happy.
Author: Ben Willimett
Top 5 Sensory Toys for Kids With Autism
No. 1: Abzel｜23pc Sensory Fidget Stress Relief Toys
No. 2: Chewigem｜Chewable Necklace
No. 3: Modoh｜No Worries Aromatherapy Dough
No. 4: Fat Brain Toys｜Dimpl Duo
No. 5: Harkla｜Sensory Swing
View Full RankingThe descriptions of each product are referenced from content available on manufacturer, brand, and e-commerce sites.
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