ECI Toys

The House and Barn are considered “standard” play toys for the ECI, having been validated in the ECI’s initial development. The ECI normative data represent children’s communication in these two contexts. See our purchasing page for purchasing details, including recommendations for alternative, and replacement toys.

Since development, however, Fisher-Price has made the Barn and House “sound” toys. When using these toys for ECI assessments, remove all batteries and use the toys without sound. We have found that children tend to communicate less when playing with toys that make sounds.

Important recall information for The Barn: If you purchased your barn before June 17, 2002, it is not included in the recall. If your barn was purchased after that date, please have your barn with you and go to the Mattel Recall website to check on the safety of your specific toy.

Warning: Children will often explore toys by putting them in their mouth. So, it is always important to maintain close supervision of children (birth – 3 yrs) when playing with these and any toys to avoid potential choking hazards. Also, be sure to inspect all toys before and after they are used and discard broken, chipped, or loose pieces, torn or damaged material, and any other pieces with potentially harmful defects.

If you are interested in buying these toys, view our purchasing information page, which also lists replacement items and additional accessories that can be used to supplement these toys to maintain children’s interest.

See the ECI administration instructions for complete information about using the toys during an observation, and how to modify the toys for children with sensory impairments.