As the Christmas season grows increasingly close to the day itself, the pressure to purchase ideal gifts grows. This is also true of families or friends looking to purchase enjoyable gifts for children with autism. Here at The Brook Center, we have put together some ideas for gift-giving this holiday season, to help your family (or friends!) enjoy their gifts to the fullest.
First, let’s take a look at how gift-giving may look different for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Understanding Different Needs
As the saying goes, “If you’ve met one child with autism, you’ve met one child with autism,” and the same is true when it comes to selecting gifts for a child with autism. Rather than offering a single series of items, or prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach to gifting, consider taking the child’s sensory needs, preferred items, and habits into account, and proceed from there. To help, we have put together 5 basic categories from which to choose.
Gift Ideas for Children with Autism
1. Sensory Toys
Sensory toys are toys that deliver sensory input. Although virtually everything can provide some sensory input, there are plenty of toys that are designed to offer a sensory experience. Consider the following:
Slime, Playdough, and Kinetic Sand
Children who enjoy playing with their hands, and enjoy a day filled with sifting through shaving cream, splashing in puddles, or squishing mud through their fingers may also take a liking to playing with slime, playdough, or kinetic sand. All of these offer a hands-on sensory experience that can be as messy or tidy as they prefer. To help parents enjoy the experience as well, many of these options also come with containers and molds to help contain them.
Noisemakers and Instruments
Hands-on activities aren’t the only sensory options available; instruments like drums, triangles, and xylophones can all offer auditory sensory input. Noisemakers like tubes and maracas can also deliver enjoyable auditory input.
2. Building Toys
Many children enjoy watching their ideas come to life, or enjoy seeing something small gradually morph into something large. Legos (or Duplos, as age dictates), magnatiles, and blocks can all offer a straightforward and enjoyable way to play. Children who frequently stack items or watch closely as items in their surroundings are put together may enjoy items to help build and bring their imagination to life.
3. Mechanical Toys
For some children, mechanical aptitude is strong. These children may enjoy kits with moving parts, model cars and trains, and even wooden kits put together with hammer and nails. Finding toys that require mechanical knowledge or interest can be great for older children, or for children prone to taking things apart and putting them back together again.
Gears and Moving Toys
For smaller children, a panel of plastic spinning gears would offer a cause-and-effect toy to satisfy mechanical interests. For older children or children with developed fine motor skills, magnetic gears that can be independently manipulated can offer a great deal of stimulation and pique interest.
Building Kits
From smaller build kits with only a handful of parts to put together before a movable toy is created, to larger builds with more sophisticated parts, mechanical toys are an excellent choice for children who tend to focus their attention on taking things apart and putting them back together, or closely monitor how toys, food items, and even mechanical or technical objects are made.
Marble Runs
There are small marble runs, and runs that can go up to 3 feet tall and beyond, but they all share important components: building, problem-solving, and visible fruits of your labor. Larger marble runs exist for younger children, with larger marbles or balls that do not pose a choking hazard.
4. Toys Encouraging General Play
Sticky hands, monkey noodles, styrofoam airplanes, and animal figures are all great toys to help promote general play while capturing a child’s interest. These are especially useful for children who might quickly move from one interest to the next, as they are all small and affordable enough to provide numerous options.
Fidget Toys
Sticky hands, monkey noodles, and fidget spinners can all be great gift options. These toys can be used for general, independent play, or they can be offered in instances when there may be some discomfort or some difficulty sitting still.
Animal Figurines and Toys
To encourage joint play, animal figurines and toys can be wonderful options. If you have dogs, cats, chickens, or other livestock, you can focus on these toys, to encourage play reflecting the world around your child. These can also offer wonderful opportunities for parents and siblings to join in play.
Art and Books
Art and books also let children play and use their imagination. Graphic novels can be a great bridge from reading words on a page and having something more visually stimulating, while paints, markers, and crayons can help facilitate improved grip strength while providing a source of fun.
5. Immersive Toys
Immersive toys can vary widely in how they are presented, but the basic idea is the same: a toy has buttons, levers, or other sources of input to help a child fully immerse themselves in play. Different age and ability levels can be found in this category, to help facilitate a well-rounded form of play.
Immersive Books
Immersive books are often found in the toddler’s section, but children with autism of all ages and ability levels may enjoy books that utilize buttons to read along, or provide sounds related to the topic. These books can be small, and actually have pages to turn and read through, or they can come in the form of small chips, inserted into boxes or players, which then read to the child.
Alphabet and Number Toys
There is no shortage of toys with the numbers and alphabet on them, with buttons to link the sound of the number or letter with the sight of it. These toys can be great for children who are interested in noise-making immersive toys, while encouraging connections between sight and sound.
The Best Gifts for Children with Autism
Whether you are the parent of a child with autism, a family member, or a friend, knowing precisely what to get for a gift can be difficult. If you are uncertain, check in with parents or caregivers to find out what the child’s unique interests are as a starting point. While it can feel important to get autism-specific gifts, children with autism express favorites in terms of characters, activities, and experiences just as a typical child does. Use those as a guide first and foremost, and select from our guide after learning more about your child’s or the child for whom you getting a gift’s interests.
Happy gifting!
The Brook Center offers clinic and home-based ABA services in White Bluff, TN and Waverly, TN. Contact us today to learn more!
