Great Gifts for Children with Autism

With diagnoses of autism on the rise, the chances are that at some point you will know a child - either in your family, in your neighborhood, or in the family of one of your friends - who has autism. When a holiday or the child's birthday comes up, you may wonder what type of gift is appropriate for a child with autism.

If you know the child well, you may be aware of whether he has some sort of special interest or talent. Many children with autism do. If you know what the child loves, this will help you to come up with some great ideas for a gift for him. You may have to think outside the box to come up with a gift that the child doesn't already own or won't be receiving from someone else. For instance, if the child loves trains, try to think of something other than a model train set or some Thomas the Tank Engine toys. You might like to look for an unusual gift at a railroad museum's gift shop, or browse eBay for an authentic railroad engineer's cap.

But don't limit yourself to trying to find something that matches a child's special interest. It can be great to give the child other types of gifts, as well! Here are a few ideas to help you get started.

A tape recorder... the small kind that college students sometimes use to record lectures. It can be a lot of fun for a kid to record her own voice, and then play it back. Even children who are "nonverbal" usually make lots of noises, and can still enjoy recording themselves or recording other people.

A record player. Many kids these days have never even seen a record player! You can often find very inexpensive records at resale stores, garage sales, online, etc. The hard part may be finding an inexpensive record player. If you can find one, especially the child-sized kind that used to come in a case, the child may really enjoy putting on records and watching them spin around as he sings and dances to the music!

A magnet set. Magnets are just amusing, for some reason. Consider a magnet play set, such as the magnetic dress up dolls by Melissa And Doug, a magnetic building set, such as Magneatos, or a scientific magnet set such as this Horseshoe Magnet Set. I'm absolutely in love with these magnetic puzzles from Magic Cabin.

Music. Find out if the child has a portable CD player, or an iPod. If he has an Ipod, you may just have to give him an iTunes gift card and let him, or someone else, download music for him. If he has a CD player, you can choose some fun CD's for him. Look for children's music, the soundtracks to his favorite movies, etc.

A "video rocker." This is a sort of curved seat that goes on the ground. The child (or even an adult) can sit on it and rock. I have one and I can even rock upside down! It is meant to be used by people playing video games, but kids love to just sit in them and rock. A lot of kids with autism rock their bodies in order to relax themselves. Sitting in this video rocker can be a fun and more socially acceptable way of relaxing!

Things that glow, or light up. If you have a Spencer's Gifts store in your local mall, go in and walk all the way to the back. You'll find a whole ton of lit-up decorations, such as traffic lights, moving pictures, lava lamps, electricity balls, home light shows, etc. A lot of kids with autism love to look at things that are lit up or moving in an intriguing way.

A dry erase board, with different colored dry erase markers. A lot of kids will love receiving these, because they've seen their teachers use larger versions at school. Plus, they can easily bring dry erase boards and markers along on car rides, and play with them while waiting for doctor's appointments, therapy appointments, etc. Believe me, many kids with autism spend a lot of time waiting for appointments!

Go to a teacher store, such as Lakeshore Learning. Look for "manipulatives," or sets of small, colorful objects. These come shaped like circles or cubes, or in different shapes such as animals, trains, dinosaurs, or cars. These can be played with, lined up, sorted, and more. Many kids have used these at school, and will be delighted to own a set!

A calendar, especially the type that kids can move things around in. I like this Magnetic Calendar from Magic Cabin, or this one by Melissa and Doug.

Musical instruments. You can either find a genuine musical instrument, or the smaller kind meant for children. Drums and other percussion instruments are popular because they're easy to play!

Puzzles. Older kids may be great at doing puzzles, so look for challenging ones such as the 3-D kind. Younger or not as high functioning children may like simpler puzzles. Giant floor puzzles are always a lot of fun!

"Adopt" or sponsor an animal for the child. You may be able to do this through the local zoo or nature center near where the child lives. This would be a fun idea, because the child would be able to go with his family to visit "his" animal. Otherwise, you can sponsor an animal through a national organization such as the World Wildlife Fund. Often, the sponsorship will come with a stuffed animal or other gift, and information about the animal. A child who is old enough and high functioning enough to understand the concept may really enjoy this!

If the child likes to read, consider giving them a gift certificate to a book store. This will mean the child not only receives a book, but gets the pleasure of browsing an entire bookstore to find the perfect book, and then paying for it on his own!

Still having trouble thinking of something? There are a few online stores that offer a wide selection of toys and gifts especially for kids with autism. Ozmo is an awesome one, as are Kidscope and The Adaptive Child. Have fun shopping!