Until you have a child who has special needs, you don't really realize how helpful it can be to find toys that are geared for the particular needs of your child. Regular age-appropriate guides for choosing or using toys can be thrown out the window, since often kids with disabilities have varying strengths and weaknesses that make choosing a toy based solely on age inappropriate and difficult.
It turns out that Toys R Us has been publishing their "Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids" catalog since 1994, but this year they are tripling efforts to get the guide into the hands of parents and others who can use it. I know that my son Eric's grandparents have difficulty choosing toys for him; he's almost 4 but his interests and abilities don't coincide with a typical four-year old's.
I feel a little odd promoting a huge retailer (and what handy timing, just in time for holiday shopping!), but sometimes you have to start somewhere, and I think I'll be checking out this catalog this year to see what inspiration it holds. That is, if we don't give up all our toys entirely.
