Ahead of World Autism Acceptance Week (27 March to 2 April 2023), tonies® – the leading audio platform for children – is partnering with the National Autistic Society. The aim of the collaboration is to help amplify the charity’s work supporting autistic children in the UK.
In celebration of the partnership, tonies® will be donating £10 from every sale of a Toniebox Starter Set and Toniebox Bundle to the charity. Customers simply need to use the code NAS10 during World Autism Acceptance Week. They will also receive 10% off their order.
At least one in 100 people are autistic, which is over 700,000 people in the UK.
“We feel extremely privileged to partner with the National Autistic Society,” says Pinky Laing, tonies® partnerships and PR manager. “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.”
Also commenting is Gaby Richardson, corporate partnerships manager at the National Autistic Society. “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 is a padded musical storytelling speaker box. The accompanying Tonie characters are preloaded with music, story and educational content. The National Autistic Society partnership takes inspiration from the fact that many parents with autistic children have said the range is a great way to introduce language and literacy to their children.
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 three,” she says. “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.”
Routine and familiarity can be very important to autistic children, with many finding changes to routine distressing. Stories on the Toniebox can add that familiar element to an unfamiliar environment. Many autistic children find excessive sensory stimulation very overwhelming, too. Using the Toniebox with headphones can bring welcome relief in overwhelming sensory moments. Furthermore, the screen-free, low-sensory aspect of the Toniebox can help calm children, creating a sleepy bedtime environment.
The tonies® x National Autistic Society partnership aims to explore how the brand’s ranges may benefit autistic children. Ongoing support and materials will be available via the ‘mytonies’ app.
