official foundation of
YOUR G I
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MATCH Every child deserves a chance to grow, to learn, to love, and to be loved.
L BE
ED!
As a speech-language pathologist and music therapist at the MAB-Mackay, we’re privileged to help children with physical disabilities overcome obstacles and reach their full potential. It feels great to know that we are making a difference in their lives. An essential tool in our therapies at the MAB-Mackay is toys. As therapists, we carefully select an item from our Therapy Toy Library to be used during a session, based on the unique abilities of each child. These toys are also loaned out to families, so the parents can encourage their children to practice towards achieving therapy goals on their own. Some children have very limited vision and rely on their auditory or tactile senses to experience and interact with the world around them. In this case, we may introduce toys that create sounds or have different tactile properties. Small musical instruments are very effective in engaging the child in working towards a therapy goal in fun and interactive ways. We also use a variety of toys that are activated by movement, touch, or a switch. For some children with limited use of their arms or hands, we encourage them to push buttons that activate different toys that will move or make a noise. The carefully curated collection includes toys or games designed to promote learning through play. Whether it’s enhancing hand-eye coordination, promoting sound association, or teaching skills such as turn-taking, every toy used in therapy or loaned to families becomes a stepping stone in the child’s developmental journey. But our Therapy Toy Library is not just about the children; it’s about supporting the whole family on their journey too. We’ve been told firsthand how the toys we send home help to create moments where families can connect and have fun together. By providing them with these tools and guidance to navigate the complexities of their child’s development, we create a support system that extends far beyond the MAB-Mackay’s walls.