Weighted Toys
Benefits of weighted toys include123:
- They can help to soothe and calm a child, particularly those with sensory processing disorders or autism.
- They can provide proprioceptive input which can help with body awareness and coordination.
- They can help to develop a child's fine motor skills.
- The added weight helps provide deep pressure and sensory input to the body, creating a calming effect for children with sensory processing disorders.
- Occupational therapists use weighted toys to improve motor skills and develop a better sense of body awareness.
Weighted toys are beneficial for children with autism, ADHD, and other general anxiety disorders or trauma and sensory input special needs. They tend to be items that a child would already be interested in using to self-soothe and have a super soft calming effect. Weighted toys provide a whole host of benefits for children thanks to their ability to trigger deep touch pressure stimulation.
This form of therapy has been shown to ease restlessness, keep children calm, improve focus and build up body strength, enhancing the development of both fine and gross motor skills.