-        Chana has a child who recently started occupational therapy. The occupational therapist has suggested several items that may help her child succeed. Insurance does not pay for any of them. She is concerned about spending money on items that may not be helpful or her child may not use.

-        Rivka’s child received therapy for some time, and has acquired many therapy items over the years. Her child no longer needs these items, but she hesitates to discard them because someone can benefit from them.

-        Shira’s son is receiving speech therapy through early intervention. Various toys can help her son develop the speech and language skills he needs, but he has tired of the toys she has. As she is tight on space, it is impractical to continually buy new toys that encourage the development of those skills.  

Perhaps your child is receiving early intervention services, school-based therapy, or other services at home or in a clinic.  At some point in your child’s therapy, your child’s therapist may recommend a piece of equipment or a toy that can help your child advance further toward therapy goals. Whether your child has a single challenge that he/she needs to work on or special needs, therapy items are often part of what helps a child succeed in therapy.

When it comes to infants and toddlers, therapists often use toys to encourage a child to develop a needed skill. For instance, some toys are especially effective at encouraging particular skills, such as speech and language development, cause and effect, following directions, play skills, and fine motor skills. After some time, a child may no longer be interested in a toy, but the child still needs to work on a particular skill. It may be impractical for parents to buy one toy after another that is suitable for their child.

In the course of physical therapy, some items that might be suggested for young children include a crawligator, activity chair, shopping carts to encourage standing, bending, and reaching, and toys that encourage standing. Boxes for MEDEK exercises may be recommended for a period of time. For some children, an adaptive bicycle can make a world of a difference.

Children that are receiving occupational or speech therapy for feeding can often benefit from particular seating and feeding devices. Therapists may want parents to try particular high chairs and positioning devices. Particular bottles, cups, and bowls facilitate the development of sucking, straw drinking, self-feeding, and other skills.

Handwriting can be another reason why children receive occupational therapy. Sometimes, therapists will help children improve fine motor skills or use strategies to accommodate low tone to help improve handwriting. Some of the items a therapist may suggest are slant boards, pencil grips, McKie splints, and adapted paper. At times, a therapist will recommend assistive technology, such as an iPad, for children that cannot write efficiently enough to function in the classroom.

Children with sensory needs can find the world overwhelming and have trouble regulating themselves in their environment. A therapist may suggest a variety of items to help a child concentrate, such as spiky cushions and fidget toys, or equipment to help a child calm themselves, such as weighted or compression vests, body socks, weighted blankets, lap pads, and headphones. What helps one child may not help another, and it is often a trial and error process to find which items are suitable for a child.

For children of any age with communication challenges, a speech therapist may suggest an augmentative communication device to help the child express his/her needs. These items can range from simple devices for young children that involve a single message to robust devices for older children (and adults) that support full communication. While insurance companies generally cover this equipment, obtaining them involves an assistive technology evaluation, which may require waiting for an available appointment, followed by a lengthy approval process. In the meantime, children and their families can experience great frustration because the child cannot communicate his/her needs.

In addition to the items discussed above, there is a wide range of items that may help a child to achieve therapy goals. These items can range from inexpensive to very expensive, but nobody wants items sitting around their house that they cannot use.

Enter Yitzchok’s Toy Box, a therapy toy and equipment gemach in memory of Yitzchok Sheffield, A”H.

Parents can borrow items from the gemach and try them to see if they are suitable before purchasing them for their children. Parents can also borrow items typically used for short periods, such as toys for infants and toddlers. If we do not have an item you are seeking, we can likely get any item recommended by a pediatric physical, occupational, or speech therapist.

Here is how it works:

1.        Get a recommendation from your child's PT, OT, or speech therapist

2.        Call us with the specific item you are seeking

3.        Have your child try the item to figure out if it is a good fit

4.        Return it to us when you are done

 Parents can also donate items that they are no longer using. We also accept monetary donations and donations of gift cards that will be used to buy therapy toys and equipment.

Contact Yitzchok's Toy Box at 443-879-3169 or YitzchoksToyBox@gmail.com