Wstecz 3D therapeutic toys

Difficulties in supporting the psychomotor development of preterm children, which are due to two aspects: the specific development of preterm babies and the existing therapeutic aids, which are not adapted to their development. Standard therapeutic aids (toys) are too complicated and stimulating for these children because they are too colourful, too noisy, at the same time often too heavy or too big. Using them in play or therapy of preterm infants does not bring the expected improvement in age-appropriate psychomotor skills and makes children discouraged from making further attempts to use the toys. As a consequence, children develop a sense of lack of competence, of influence over their lives, which hinders the further development of preterm infants, causes withdrawal from social contact and leads to social exclusion.

The parent or therapist using the innovation is provided not only with toy designs, but also with clear instructions to help them adapt the aids to the child's manipulation and grasping skills. In this way, the parameters of the therapeutic toys, such as size, weight, texture and colour, can be easily modified to suit the developmental age and psychomotor abilities of specific children.

• Children up to the age of 4 years who were born prematurely and need solutions adapted to their developmental age, not their age of life.

• Parents of premature babies;

• Employees of facilities offering therapeutic support(e.g. psychological-educational counselling centres, child and family support centres, medical and physiotherapy centres).

• Therapist;

• Parents;

• Children from the target group.

• 3D printer;

• modifications to the design to enable the toy to fit the child well.

E-mail: m.wojtowicz.szefler@gmail.com; dejam@ukw.edu.pl.