The U-Play Mat
A brand childrennew toy went on sale today. Actually it is more of a toy pallet. The name of the toy is: “ U-Play Mat.“ Dr. Jen, a pediatrician and mother of two sets of twins came up with the idea.
“We should create a mat around the child rather than (putting) the child on the mat!” she said. This Way Every Day LLC. agreed with her.
The product has received rave reviews from testers, parents, educators and the media, including the coveted Dr. Toy Top Ten Active Products for 2009.
Dr. Jen hired two renowned Applied Behavioral Therapy (ABA) doctors to write a manual for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. The manual was set for release today, and will be available for free on Play This Way Every Day’s website at (www.playthisway.com/autism).
The original idea for the U-Play Mat arose during a speech therapy session with Dr. Jen, her two year old son and his speech pathologist in September 2008. As he struggled to play on a rectangular mat with cards, Dr. Jen had a light bulb moment: “We should develop a U-shaped mat, created with the child being the center of the play environment.”
The shape of The U-Play Mat allows your child to sit inside the opening of the U, preferably with a wall behind to complete the corral. Caregivers are enthusiastic about this setting as it provides excellent opportunities for eye contact and face-to-face interaction. Child-safe see-through pockets allow fifteen cards to be secured to the mat surface, so that the child can engage in a variety of interactive exercises using the 240 theme-based cards that come with the package. A light weight tote bag is included for convenience in storing away, and for trips.
More benefits
The original manual outlined Play to Learnlanguage development games for all children, from toddlers learning to talk to children of all ages with specific language development issues. Many people commented on how wonderful the ‘U’ shape would be for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The company immediately turned to renowned Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy experts, Dr. David Kuhn and Dr. Stephanie Contrucci Kuhn to write this manual based upon their clinical and academic experience. The company is now recruiting professionals in other fields to adapt the instruction manual to meet their special needs.
Dr. Jen has a smile when saying, “Play and learning can be fun, but it doesn’t come naturally to everyone, including me. By providing instructional manuals written by experts, it allows caregivers to get started and then use their own creativity to continue the learning process.”
Individuals diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder often have difficulty expressing wants and needs. “It is important to begin teaching a communication system that will allow an individual to make requests. It is also important to teach individuals to identify and name objects in their environment,” said autism specialist Dr. Stephanie Contrucci Kuhn. “The layout of the U-Play Mat provides an ideal structure within which to teach these skills.”
In addition to being able to accommodate multiple pictures simultaneously, the unique layout of the U-Play Mat teaches the learner to use ‘search skills’. “While most picture communication systems place all of the pictures directly in front of the learner, the U-Play Mat places the pictures in a semicircle around the learner, forcing him/her to look in multiple directions to find the desired object.”
Play This Way Every Day has set up a special website at: www.playthisway.com/autism offering the U-Play Mat with a free download of this new manual. (Buy the manual and get the mat)
Special needs web retailer www.eztools4autism.com has been offering the U-Play Mat since November. Dynavox Mayer-Johnson will begin to offer the U-Play Mat in 2010. The U-Play Mat is also available at www.playthisway.com/autism Amazon.com has various wonderful offers running on the web at: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_0_6?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=u-play+mat&sprefix=u-play and another manual is available in Spanish at the Puerto Rico site http://www.piomu.com — plus you can touch base through www.educationalkidsplay.com in Canada.
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