Pinky Laing, tonies® Partnerships and PR Manager, says: “We feel extremely privileged to partner with the National Autistic Society. We have received so much positive feedback from our customers over the years, about how the Toniebox has helped their autistic children, so this is a partnership especially close to our hearts. We are truly looking forward to working closely with NAS to help build greater acceptance and understanding of our autistic communities in the UK, while exploring how our product ranges can further benefit neurodiverse children.”

Gaby Richardson, Corporate Partnerships Manager at the National Autistic Society, says: “Autistic children may have delayed language development but the Toniebox is an amazing way to listen to stories without the use of screen time. Tonies has been fantastic to work with and they have given parents a tool that could be beneficial to their child.”

The Toniebox (a softly padded musical storytelling speaker box) and the accompanying Tonie characters, which are preloaded with music, story and educational content, have been met with incredible success with families since 2016. The National Autistic Society partnership has been inspired by the fact that many parents with autistic children have said the range is a great way to introduce language and literacy to their children.

Some autistic children may not develop language in the same way as children that are not autistic. Their communication may seem different. All children benefit from books, toys and devices that encourage active listening. Increasingly we are hearing about the positive benefits of audio in early language development.

Sarah Lopes is one of many parents who has found the tonies® range helpful with language development for her son: “Spencer was diagnosed with autism and severe speech delay officially at age 3. We found that Spencer learns his language through chunks and scripts and a lot of repeating what he hears, commonly known as echolalia. The Toniebox has helped Spencer’s speech and language so much! He can use the copied language in his day-to-day life, and it’s helped him to read the books that go along with the Tonie characters. His speech is super clear now and we are able to understand what he is saying. We are so excited with how much it has helped him with this part of his autism and finding a way for Spencer to communicate with us in a more fun and enjoyable way, and to be able to vocalise his needs, and to hear his voice is just perfect.”

Routine and familiarity can be very important to autistic children, with many finding changes to routine distressing. Well-loved stories on the Toniebox can add that familiar element to an unfamiliar environment. For example, a different bedroom on holiday can be made more comfortable with the presence of a familiar Tonie and favourite story. Listening to the same story over and over again, can also bring comfort. The child-led nature of the Toniebox makes storytime far more accessible as they’re able to initiate it themselves.

Many autistic children find too much sensory stimulation very overwhelming. Journeys on public transport, or time spent in crowded places can be distressing. The Toniebox paired with headphones can bring welcome relief in these overwhelming sensory moments, filtering out the noise for the child, to bring their focus to one voice, one sound and one storyline.

The screen-free, low-sensory aspect of the Toniebox can help calm children, and create a sleepy bedtime environment. Many of the accompanying Tonies have been designed to assist in bedtime routines, there’s lullaby Tonies, and a Sleepy Friends range (featuring calming classical music, nature sounds, and bedtime stories), and a Nap Time collection, with white noise and nature sounds to bring the focus back to relaxation.

The tonies® x National Autistic Society partnership aims to explore how the brand’s ranges may benefit autistic children, with ongoing support and materials to be developed and released on the ‘mytonies’ app.

For more information about World Autism Acceptance Week, visit:https://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/raise-money/world-autism-acceptance-week-2023

* The National Autistic Society is the UK’s leading charity for autistic people.

* We are here to transform lives, change attitudes and create a society that works for autistic people.

* Since 1962, we have been campaigning for autistic people’s rights and providing support and advice to autistic people and their families.

* To find out more about autism or the charity, visit www.autism.org.uk.

* Follow the National Autistic Society on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

* Autism is a lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world.

* At least one in 100 people are autistic which means more than 700,000 people in the UK.

* All autistic people have difficulties with communication and social interaction.

* Autism is a spectrum condition. This means autistic people have their own strengths and varying and complex needs, from 24-hour care to simply needing clearer communication and a little longer to do things at work and school.

* Without the right support or understanding, autistic people can miss out on an education, struggle to find work and become extremely isolated.

* Although everyone is different, people on the autism spectrum may:
 1. Be under or oversensitive to sounds, touch, tastes, smells, light or colours, which can make everyday life extremely difficult.

 2. Be unable to or find it harder to speak, face delays processing information or find it hard to hold conversations.
 3. Experience intense anxiety around unexpected change and social situations become so overwhelmed that they experience debilitating physical and emotional ‘meltdowns’ or 'shutdowns'.