Play materials for mentally handicapped children

Abstract

A range of experimental play materials are described which were designed to aid the development of manipulative skills such as posting, threading, fitting and matching in mentally handicapped children functioning at the 1-2-year-old stage of normal development. The play materials are designed to withstand rough treatment and they can be securely mounted on adjustable frames so that they can be presented to children with physical handicaps. There are few detachable parts to be thrown or dropped out of reach, and appropriate manipulations produce "rewarding' auditory feedback. A preliminary assessment of the experimental play materials suggested that they prompted more developmentally productive kinds of manipulative play than did a selection of comparable conventional toys.