Favorite activities for your child from our Disability Support Specialist

As Lovevery’s Disability Support Specialist, Maral Amani offers guidance to caregivers about ways to play focused on their child’s individual passions and development goals. Here’s how this doctor of physical therapy uses two popular Lovevery playthings to encourage learning in children with disabilities, diagnoses, or learning exceptionalities.

3 types of sensory input with the Spinning Rainbow

Children like different types and amounts of sensory input, or stimulation that engages their senses, according to Amani. “One child may love to swing, or get vestibular input, while another loves running their fingers through the sand, which is tactile input,” she says. 

The Spinning Rainbow is a plaything she often uses with children in her own practice and recommends to parents and caregivers. The colorful tiles, internal ball, and child-directed motion offer three kinds of sensory stimulation: visual, auditory, and vestibular, or how our bodies move in space. 

Learn how the Spinning Rainbow engages sensory seekers:

Signs your child may want more visual, auditory, or vestibular input

• A child seeking vestibular stimulation may enjoy twirling or watching wheels spin. The vestibular system consists of tiny organs in your child’s inner ear that provide their brain with information about where they are in space, making this system key to balance.
• A child seeking visual stimulation may love to look at bright lights, patterns, bright colors, or moving objects. You may notice your little one enjoying bringing items close to their eyes or watching videos with visually complicated images.
• A child seeking auditory stimulation may make repetitive sounds, such as clapping, tapping, or clicking. You may notice your little one loving dropping various objects to hear the sounds they make or playing with musical toys. 

Learning cause and effect (without grasping) with the Sensory Links

Understanding cause and effect is fundamental to making sense of the world. Many playthings that encourage this kind of learning require a child to hold or grasp the toy to engage with it. 

By configuring The Sensory Links in a certain way, caregivers enable children who have difficulty grasping or a limb difference to explore the links and learn about cause and effect. 

Learn how to use the Sensory Links in a new way in this video:

The goal of Lovevery’s Disability Support Service is to help children play and learn through playthings and activities based on skills. To learn more, reach out to Amani.

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