The Best Autism Toys for Toddlers, Kids & Teens in 2022 (2023)

Play is an essential part of a child’s development. It helps children learn about their environment, make sense of the world, and interact with others. Play also provides children with opportunities to explore and experiment-which can be significant for kids who have trouble interacting with others or following directions. When it comes to children with autism, playing can be incredibly important for their development. In this article, you’ll learn how to choose the right autism toy for your child. After that, we’ll explore our favorite toys in the following categories:

• Best Toys for Toddlers with Autism
• Best Toys for Children with Autism
• Best Toys for Teenagers with Autism

In the end, we’ll fill you in on what we think is the best overall toy for every age group! So sit back, relax and start getting excited about your child’s next playtime with these helpful hints.

How Do I Choose the Best Autism Toy?

There are lots of toys that can help your child with autism learn to communicate, learn skills, and relax. In fact, ABA therapists use toys to teach cause and effect, pretend play, and other skills. Speech therapists use toys to evoke communication and learn sequences and play skills. Occupational therapists use toys to develop motor or social skills. For kids, though, toys are just plain fun. With all these options, how do you choose the right toys for your kiddo?

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The material and type of toy you choose for your autistic child should be based on 3 things; their development, personal needs, and interests. Think about how your child can develop and grow with a toy. For example, if your child could benefit from promoting their fine motor skills; try toys like building blocks, puzzles, and art supplies. These toys teach kids how to use their hands while also helping them develop hand-eye coordination skills as part of the process. Next, consider how a toy can meet your child’s specific needs and prevent a meltdown. For instance, if your child gets anxious, you might try a weighted stuffed animal or a therapy swing to help relax them when they’re overstimulated.

After you examine your child’s developmental and personal needs, take into account what they actually like to do! If your child likes toys they can manipulate, malleable materials, like putty, could be a great option. Similarly, if your child responds well to touch, sound or light, look into interactive walls. In general, children with autism often enjoy these toys because they help them feel calm and engage their senses in a positive way.

Read more: The Best Toys for Nonverbal Autism by Age Group

Our Autism Toy Picks for Toddlers, Kids, & Teens

Below you’ll find our list of the top autism toys for all age groups. While we’ve arranged this list by age group, remember that all children with autism grow and learn at their own unique pace. At the end of the day, you know your kiddo better than anyone so you know what’s right for them. With that, it’s playtime!

#1 Toy for Toddlers With Autism

Play-Doh | 2-6 Years Old

Play-Doh is a fantastic toy for children with autism because it’s open-ended. There are so many different ways you can use it, and as long as you keep an eye on your child, they’ll be having fun for hours at a time. It also helps with fine motor skills, social skills, and hand-eye coordination. This can be especially helpful for kids who are sensory seeking. Best of all, nearly every age group can safely enjoy this toy.

#2 Autism Toy for Toddlers with Autism

Dimpl | 2-4 Years Old

Dimpl is a small, compact toy that fits easily in a child’s or adult’s hand. A dimpl is durable plastic with smooth edges, so it won’t damage furniture or walls if thrown out of frustration. The circular design also makes it easy for kids with poor hand strength to hold onto this toy during stress or anxiety. Although Dimpl is marketed mostly to infants, it’s actually a huge hit with every age right up to teens and beyond.

Read more: 5 Gift Ideas for Kids With ADHD

#3 Autism Toy for Toddlers with Autism

Activity Centers | 0-2 Years Old

Infants are still learning about the world around them. They often won’t reach for toys, so have a parent or caregiver help them play with the activity center. A parent can also model how to interact with the toy by showing their baby how they use it and watching them closely, which will be helpful when it comes to teaching cause and effect (which happens between an action and its result) later on in life.

Honorable Mention: Shape Shorters

Shape sorters are a classic toy that is fun for all ages and can be used to teach children about shapes, colors, matching, and sorting. They come in many different shapes and sizes – some are small enough to fit in your pocket, while others are large enough to fill up a whole room! If you have more than one child playing at once with these toys, make sure that everyone knows not to take other people’s pieces out of their places!

Read more: Why is Play Difficult for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders?

#1 Toy for Children with Autism

Legos | 6-13 Years Old

Learning to build a Lego tower is one of the first milestones in early childhood development. And it’s no wonder since making something with Legos teaches the child important skills like spatial awareness, coordination, and problem-solving. Legos are an excellent toy for children with autism. They help them explore shapes, colors, and sizes while encouraging creativity. Your child can use the blocks to build just about anything you can imagine.

Read more: Teaching Kids With Autism How to Ride a Bike

#2 Toy for Children with Autism

BunMo Pop Tubes | 6-13 Years Old

For children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, choosing toys that they can not only enjoy, but that can be therapeutic is very important. That’s why we recommend BunMo Pop Tubes. These are wonderful for children to fidget with, they provide great sensory input in the form of both sensation and soft sound.

#3 Toy for Children with Autism

Trampoline | 7-13 Years Old

We’ve all seen trampolines at playgrounds, but did you know that there are trampolines for kids as young as seven? Children playing on a trampoline helps them with balance and coordination skills and teaches them about gravity. Your child can even use them for different games like volleyball or basketball!

Honorable Mention: Playmobil Figurines

Playmobil is a famous line of toys, especially among children aged 9 to 12 years old. The Playmobil figurines are fun for imaginative play and learning about history. Playmobil figures come in different shapes and sizes, from knights and kings to pirates and adventurers. Each set has various characters for kids to act out stories or create narratives.

Read more: Best Gifts for Autistic Kids

#1 Autism Toy for Teenagers

Fidgets | 8-18 Years Old

Fidget toys are small objects that offer additional background stimulation to help a child, teen, or adult focus. They are generally hand-held, simple, and manipulated in any number of ways, including spinning, button pushing, silent clicking, on/off switching, stretching, pressing, rubbing, or turning. There are some simple fidgets that kids can wear around the neck as a necklace, on the wrist, or as a ring. Others are more complex and game or puzzle-like.There are so many different fidget toys to choose from!

#2 Autism Toy for Teenagers

Smart Speakers | 13-18 Years Old

Robots are taking over the world, but hear us out on this one. You might not think of a smart speaker likeAmazon Echoas a toy, but you’d be surprised at the number of games they offer. Not to mention talking with Siri, Alexa, or Google Assistant helps with auditory stimulation, nonverbal communication, listening skills, and socialization, all while keeping your kid screen-free! They also shape responsibility and self-driven routine management.

#3 Autism Toy for Teenagers

Weighted Blanket | 6-18 Years Old

Many autistic adults and parents of autistic children recommended weighted blankets for dealing with stress and sensory overload. A cooling weighted blanket helps reduce sweating at night and will relax the user. We think weighted blankets are perfect for decompressing after a long day at high school.

Read more: What Are the Best Toys for Kids With ADHD?

Honorable Mention: Minecraft

Okay, okay. This is as much of a ‘toy’ as it is a game – but we couldn’t NOT mention the awesomeness that is Minecraft. Minecraft is an open-world sandbox game where players can build constructions out of textured cubes in a 3D procedurally generated world. When playing Minecraft, you must think about what you want to do next before actually doing it. For example, if you’re going to get wood but only have stone tools, then you need to find some wood first to make better tools that will help you get more materials faster. This teaches children valuable time management skills, which will help them later in life when planning things like getting ready for school or work.

Overall Best Option for Toddlers, Kids, Teens & Adults

Goally | Perfect for All Ages

Goallys’ suite of therapy apps for children, teenagers, and adults with neurodiversity. The device helps its users build skills while having. Use game play as a points-based motivator for your kiddo, help them learn emotional regulation skills, and watch them grow! It also has alanguage learning center, an AAC device,visual schedules, and more!Goally’s expert-informed design is easily customizable for your kiddo’s needs. Watch the video below for a tour of our apps and try Goally today!

Ready, Set, Play!

While people from all walks of life are benefitting from these sensory and stim toys, they hold a special place in the playrooms of autistic children. We hope our list of the best toys for kids with autism gave you some ideas. What matters most is that your child enjoys their playtime and the toys you choose. You know your child better than anyone and what toys they’ll like best! So the next time you find yourself in the toy section, don’t be afraid to try one of these toys for your kid, teenager, or adult with autism.

This post was originally published on April 7, 2021. It was updated on September 27, 2022.