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This is a repost from Joyful Journey Mom. Jenni is a mom with 5 children through birth and adoption. She writes about parenting, special needs, adoption and their journey as a multi-cultural, transracial family. Read the original post here.

Bonus: All readers get 30% off all chewing products at Special Needs Essentials with code CHEW30! All you have to do is find the right one for your child.

Chewies are a great way to help children with oral sensory needs. Some children chew on their clothing, some put any and all objects in their mouths and this can be dangerous if the wrong toy is chewed or swallowed. Allowing a child to chew on a safe object can actually improve their focus/concentration, improve alertness or calmness.

Here are some of my favorite chewies that we use in our home. Not all look like a typical chewing toy which is important when choosing a chewie for an older child.

Chewy Q

This is a great tool because it is easy to hold and durable. We have used ours daily and it shows no signs to breaking. The Q comes in a smooth orange or a red one with knobs. Both have their benefits and I would recommend trying both to see which one your child prefers.

Red Chewy Tube

Chewy tubes come in different diameters and strengths. This is definitely considered heavy work for children with oral sensory needs. It’s easy to hold although we tend to drop this one more than the round shapes like the Q above.

Soft Star Chew

The soft star chew is great for kids who tend to chew on clothing. The soft star and the soft necklace texture also work for children who do not like the smooth plastic type textures.

Chew Stixx Pencil Toppers

School aged children need something that is age appropriate and for some, the pencil toppers are a great choice. This saves pencils and erasers from being chewed. They come in smooth and knobby textures.

Chewable Jewlery Bracelet Set

These bracelets are also a great school appropriate chewie choice. They come in variety of colors and look like an ordinary bracelet.

In addition to Chewies, the Special Needs Essentials online store offers numerous great products for loved ones with special needs. I especially appreciate their Therapist Preferred section that has a wonderful assortment of daily tools recommended by professionals.

What sensory chewie tools do you use with your child?

Hi everyone! Today Cathy from Bountifulplate shares with you her autistic son Dominic’s experience with flash cards! Cathy is a homemaker/wife and a mother to a 10-year old son with Autism and ADHD, an 18-year old daughter who is a college freshman and a stepson who is 30. Originally from Maryland, she has lived in the Midwest for 13 years.

When Special Needs Essentials sent us the “ready, set, abc,” flashcards as well as the “ready, set, 123,” flashcards for Dominic, I was so excited! As a parent, I instantly loved the size and durability of the cards, as well as the sturdy boxes to hold them in. Wouldn’t these be awesome to tuck into your child’s backpack for a long car trip or plane ride? I know I will be doing that for our upcoming 10-hour car ride to Maryland!!! Dominic didn’t talk until he was over three and even though he will be 11 at the end of July, he is still behind his typically developing peers in speech. I plan on using both sets of flashcards in continuing to encourage Dominic to speak in complete sentences!!