What's with all the autism toys?

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Hmmm...Think that would work? Someone out there is gonna try it now!

No, I actually have stuff for $1 on my site! Almost everything I have is under $20. None of it is made special for autism. It is the type of stuff that I have that is unique. All to make it easier to get for people - especially if they hate shopping in stores.

my son has a bunch of them but i got them off of sites where they just sell regular toys they have a search function for 'special needs' that leads to 'sensory' and other catagories. so if you are into light up stuff, it's easy to find. my little guy likes his sensory toys, especially the lamp that has elecric current that goes to your finger when you touch it. some of them are fun for me to play with too while i'm zoning out.(especially the perplexus) i would just buy the cheaper versions though. they are usually neat toys not only for kids. some of them are stupid though. i really love the sensory room lighted bubble columns. i'll never afford one, but that's okay.

Why not buy regular toys for your autistic children and see how they do with them?

Hey stim toys are great. They're sort of sensory and stuff.
My stim toys are objects that emit light or make sounds. Or...it's a sonic screwdriver. I also have a stress toy house thing.

Also, how do you not know that the person that came up with the idea was a struggling parent with an autistic child and wanted to help them?

Misskrissy, I want that lamp.

I've got no problem with such toys. I do have a problem with people charging usurious prices for them.

Yup. We are those struggling parents! And that's why we did OZMO. We had to shop all year round for stuff that we could only find in museum stores at a high price or maybe one item he would like in a whole big toy store. And as he got older it was even harder to find good stuff. He still loves toys at 26 - although he loves books and other things, too! Check out my store online and you will find that I am not greedy. I don't get paid and my husband and I do all the work. (Him in his spare time after finishing his paid job.) Plus, our store is fun!

My favorite toys when I was a kid back in the 70's was a large cardboard box flattened out, a pack of crayola crayons, and some matchbox cars. I would sit for hours designing roads, buildings, parks, and express ways to drive my matchbox cars on. That or my star wars action figures would cause hours of playing by myself not causing any aggravation for my parents.

I love card-shuffler machines. At family gatherings we often play card games, and I ask if I can be the one to shuffle the cards--using the machine; I don't have the motor skills to do it manually. Then I do so, repeatedly. Thankfully everyone humors me on this.

For the record, I am almost 30.

There are a whole lot of Aspies that have grown up just fine without special toys. Like there aren't enough toys with bells, whistles, lights and textures. Somehow making 'special toys' seems like it marginalizes kids with autism even further. A squishy ball or a water-and-glitter filled ball from the dollar store holds alot more entertainment value than some $129 steering wheel. What's next - they determine that these special toys are needed intervention devices and they are covered under insurance?

If anyone is going to make a claim that their toy is 'good for autism', I want proof of how it differs from a 'normal' toy. Yeah - I'm one of those people who will call them and ask.

A slinky was a lot of fun. The old metal ones, not the cheap plastic ones the make now.

We use to have slinky races.

"Be careful what you sell. It may actually do exactly what the customer expects." -The Ferengi Rules Of Acquisition

On a serious note, I never heard of "autism toys" before, and I think the people who say they exist so some opportunists can make a quick profit are probably right. I admire that type of business, TBH. Simple but effective.