Mountains and Valleys, educating the special needs child — budgeting

As soon as you stamp the word "educational" on the packaging, the price doubles. Marketing is clever. They know parents want what is best for their children and of course we will choose the product that says it will not only entertain my child but also teach some amazing skill at the same time. And for parents of kids with learning difficulties, this is heightened. We grasp at any tool that may possibly make learning more fun, more natural, more effective for our child.  So we spend a FORTUNE! And unfortunately many of these novelty educational toys are barely even...