For children with special needs, playing with toys is a great way to learn new skills.
However, difficulty in sourcing suitable developmental toys can be a problem, and this is where Áine Conacur, who has a 10-year-old daughter with special needs, comes in. Conacur (above) became frustrated with the lack of availability of suitable toys, so she took the matter into her own hands and opened Thinking Toys in Killaloe, Co Clare in 2004. It stocks many of the well-known brands, but its main focus is on creative, educational toys, in addition to a section devoted to children with learning difficulties and special needs. "It's a toy shop with a difference," she explains. "We stock toys that require problem solving, construction, design or imagination, and that create stimulation for the child through play."
Pegboards and construction toys are aimed at developing fine motor skills, while physio-rolls are great for posture and balance. There is also a selection of games to improve language and communication skills. The shop is the only one of its kind in Ireland and it has a website so that people can make purchases online. "Play is child's work and it's important that the play things you give them promote development," Conacur says. "The toys we stock involve the child using their imagination. We're going back to traditional values."
Thinking Toys, Ballina, Killaloe, Co Clare, 061-374402, www.thinkingtoys.ie