Children with special needs

Thanks for visiting this special needs page..

We do get mail from parents of children who have special needs, requesting advice as to whether a product is suitable.
It is difficult to answer in a helpful way when we know very little about some of the subjects.
I would really like to help, so on that note, I thought it maybe helpful to hear from parents who have children that have special needs, and use/play with LeapFrogs interactive learning toys.
If you have any comments about the products that may help a parent decide if a product is suitable , then please contact me via this mail link Special Children and I will post your comments on this page (with your permission).
ArthurJanuary 20, 2007->->->->->->->->->

Hi Arthur, I was very impressed to see you had a special needs section, my daughter has just turned 14 and has moderate learning difficulties and it is very difficult to find toys which are suitable for her, all she ever wants is colouring books and pens. That was until she received a LeapPad about 4 years ago, once she got the hang of it she really enjoyed it -I would recommend that any parents learn their way around the system beforehand then show the child what to do-my daughter has very little patience or attention span and will dismiss a toy if she cant get to grips with it immediately. It was brilliant to be able to suggest to friends and family at birthdays and christmas which books to get her. Another advantage was the age ranges, because Hannah prefers routine and is reluctant to try out new toys it was possible to climb up the difficulty levels whilst still enjoying the familiarity of a favourite activity.

Hannah received a pink leapster for her 14th birthday 2 days ago, the first day she wouldn't look at it, yesterday I sat and played with it until it she became interested enough to have a little go, today she came through the door from school asking for it!! Looks like another successful purchase.

Just one quick question-are the leapster L-max cartridges compatible with the leapster?

Many thanks

Karen

Hallo Arthur,

My daughter is 22 months and has had the Learning Table for about 4 months. She has Downs Syndrome and so is behind for her age. We got the table as we hoped it would encourage her to kneel and stand while she was playing and she does! She loves it and plays with it every day. We find it has helped her kneeling especially which will strengthen her hips and help her to get strong enough to stand. if she is tired then she sits on my leg or a bean bag while she plays.

We also have found that on long car journeys we put it next to her car seat, and she can reach the top of the table, and it helps to keep her amused.

Regards, Sarah W.

The link below will take you to NHS Direct for more information about this subject.
Down's syndrome is the most common autosomal trisomy (trisomy means the presence of an extra chromosome) and the most common identifiable cause of learning disability. It occurs naturally in around one in 600 births, but because it can now be diagnosed prenatally the figure in the UK is one in 1,000 live births. The chance of having a baby with Down's syndrome increases with age. More babies with Down's syndrome are born to women in the 25–30 age group, but this is because the overall birth rate is higher in this age group.

NHS Direct Online Health Encyclopedia (Down's syndrome)

Thank you Cheryl for these two fantastic photos of CJ (Crhistopher)

Dear Arthur

I saw on the LeapFrog Shop website that you have

invited parents of special needs children to write to

you about toys.

We have an 11 year old son who is severely disabled.

But he is only chronologically 11 years old and

mentally he can be placed at anywhere between 1 and 5 years old.

Consequently, the toys we buy for him are of the 1 to

5 age group. Sadly, we are finding problems finding

toys that last. Basically, he destroys them. He

doesn't mean to. He plays them to death by chewing

them to bits or short-circuiting electronic toys with

his excess saliva. We find the construction of those

toys, although they would fit the age group it's for,

it doesn't match the hammering he gives them!

He absolutely LOVES electronic toys that give him a

response. In particular, those like Baby Tad. He's

had two of those so far which have sadly passed away

to due drowning in saliva and we've got him another

one for Christmas. The second Baby Tad lasted months!

Some electronic toys components can be too easily damaged from saliva. We found that the bib on Baby

Tad does offer some protection. Some components are too easily accessible for his curious hands! He has

removed the 'voice box' from Baby Tad a few times that we have to sew it up and unpick it when the batteries need changing.

We had a mini Mr Wonderful once and our son loved it but was very angry at himself because he ripped Mr

Wonderful's head off thereby rendering him mute!

We'd love to buy him affordable toys of his liking

that can survive destruction akin to World War III.

That would be fantastic!

Thank you for reading.

Kind regards

Cheryl

Hi, My name is Nirvana, Just to let you know that I received my order today, Thank you. It is the best learning toy that I have ever seen.my Daughter has down syndrome, she is 18 on Saturday, bless her, she has a mind of a 7 year old. I know that she will love the Leapster very much. Please could you let me know when the Leapster Draw & Write come's in as I know that Rachel would very much like that one, as she love's drawing and writing. Best Regards Nirvana.

Imagination Desk Learning System

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no longer available )

Dear Arthur, You asked me to let you know any more about my grand-daughter in Australia. Having sent her the Imagination Desk for Christmas I sent her the LeapPad for ages 4-6 at Easter. Although some of these products are available in Australia they all have American voices and my daughter is very concerned that the children do not learn American sounds and spellings. Apparently Hannah, who is now 5, was over the moon with the Arthur story and his lost tooth. She liked the Princess stories and Nemo too. Since she has had this LeapPad for the first time she has been able to remember a whole nursery rhyme, which is a big achievement for her. She can also now count to 20. This progress is attributed to the LeapPad system. Regards. Helen Iden

My First LeapPad.

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Feedback:
I'm impressed with your section on special need kids, our youngest son has cerebral palsy and poor concentration and motor skills, he has the first leap pad and is really trying to use it, perhaps something with more music would hold his attention a little longer thank you! sarah.hopwood

The link below will take you to NHS Direct for more information about this subject.
Cerebral palsy is a term used to describe a group of conditions which occur due to the loss of some of the function of the brain concerned with movement and posture. It affects about one child in 500 and damage can occur before birth or as a baby when the brain is immature.

Its effects vary widely: some children suffer only the slightest of disability, while some are almost totally disabled. Many children with quite severe movement problems are entirely normal mentally and have a high intelligence. The condition does not progress, but may affect people differently over time.

NHS Direct Online Health Encyclopedia (Cerebral palsy)

My First LeapPad.

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Thanks for the e mail to let me know of new products
for my sons 'my first leap pad'. He is 5 yrs old and is disabled with autism and this toy provides lots of stimulation for him, in fact I was in a meeting with my son's special school last week and was telling them how great they are and a few parents where really interested, as lots of children with autism have no speech, I think its a fantastic learning base for them.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks again
Sharon Higgins

The link below will take you to NHS Direct for more information about this subject.
Autism is a lifelong developmental disorder that affects the way a person communicates and relates to people around them. In the great majority of cases, autistic disorders are present from birth or become apparent within the first three years of life.
Link to the NHS Direct Online Health Encyclopaedia
NHS Direct Online Health Encyclopedia Autism.

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Dear Arthur
Further to your e-mail concerning special needs, I have asked Emma's mother why the leap pads are so useful and she gave me a few reasons to pass on to you.
1. Out of all her toys Emma chooses mainly her leap pads to occupy herself during car journeys. This is very useful as she has ADHD and consequently a very short attention span.
2. The nice chunky pen means that with her limited motor skills she is able to use it efficiently.
3. The talking parts of the books are more easily understood because they are not 'Americanised' voices (unlike many toys)
4. Emma has poor co-ordination and tends to wreck things easily, but the leap pads are fairly robust and last a lot longer than many other learning toys.
Hoping this is of use to you.
Merry Christmas
Sophie and family

Nemo arrived safe and sound in the post - hope you like the picture I sent of him and that the info about Emma will help you get some ideas about the learning process for ADHD kids...

Just one more thing I thought of was that because of Emma's delayed development, this usually means that we choose things with an age range which are perhaps just a year or two younger than her actual chronological age. The reason for this is to try and find a balance between finding something which is within her capability but also challenging enough for her to make more progress. It is sometimes bewildering to us and her family that although she is constantly moving from one thing to the next because of her very limited attention span, she can (only occasionally) be captivated by something which just keeps her on task for ages by her standards! It is sometimes even a film (like Nemo) that she will just sit and watch or a play station game, and when that 'magic formula' is found it is a relief for us all, especially her mother!
Sophie and family

The link below will take you to NHS Direct for more information about this subject.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or hyperkinetic disorder is used to describe children who have three main kinds of problems:

overactive behaviour (hyperactivity),
impulsive behaviour, and
difficulty in paying attention.

Link to the NHS Direct Online Health Encyclopaedia
NHS Direct Online Health Encyclopedia (ADHD)

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Dear Arthur,

Thank you for your very quick reply, and the telephone number for parts.

I`d be happy for you to use my comments on your site, if it may help other parents with children of similar disabilities. I would certainly recommend this "toy" for children like my son....he is 5, and part of his disability
means that he has very limited speech, so something like this which is interactive and speaks to him is very helpful, and it is easy for him to navigate...he got the hang of how to use it very quickly!
Anyway, thank you for your help. Its nice to know you are interested.
Yours, Lisa

My son is on the autistic spectrum got leapster for xmas loves it and is learning

Diane

My daughter is nine years old and has Down's Syndrome. She also has a severe hearing loss. She therefore needs lots of visual feedback but also really tunes in well to music. She has taken really well to the LeapFrog products. She started with the first Leap pad and now has the larger one. She also has the Imagination Desk which really helps her in forming her letters and numbers. For Christmas, both she and her two younger brothers got Leapster's. They all love them but especially Vanessa. Not only is she the same as her brothers when she uses it, it has so many extra benefits for her. It really helps her hand eye coordination. She listens carefully for the music and has hours of fun with it. Thank you LeapFrog. Lorraine Sanda