10 Best Gifts for Autistic Children

Finding a perfect gift for an autistic child can be a big challenge but there are many wonderful options, some of which you can see on our list of best gifts for autistic children. Basic things that you need to consider when buying things for an autistic child is the same as with every other child: it should be age appropriate, thoughtful and according to that child’s unique interest. The challenge lies in choosing the gift that they like but that builds their skills at the same time. In order to choose a gift that suits an autistic child’s needs, it is important to realize that children with autism spectrum disorder can be oversensitive (and undersensitive as well) to various stimuli including noise, light, temperature, etc. You can find some ideas on our list of 7 Best Board Games for Children with Autism.

The dysfunctional sensory system in children (and adults) with autism may be the underlying reason for repetitive behaviors which often include spinning, rocking, hand-clapping, etc. Sensory integration focuses on three basic senses: proprioceptive, tactile and vestibular. The dysfunctional tactile can be noticed if a child is withdrawing when being touched, avoids various foods and avoids getting his/her hands dirty. The dysfunctional vestibular system can be noticed if a child is either afraid of activities such as climbing the stairs, swinging spinning or is drawn to repetitive actions such as excessive jumping, spinning, etc. Proprioceptive system imbalance is present if a child has odd body posture, difficulty manipulating small objects and resistance to acquiring new motor skills.

 You are probably wondering how this is relevant since you are only looking to buy a perfect gift for an autistic child. Well, every autistic child responds differently to various items and situations and his/her behavior can give you precious insight into what might benefit him/her. Once you determine the senses that require attention, it will be easier for you to choose a gift. For example, toys that stimulate vestibular system are toys such as trampolines, rocking horses, swings, etc. Tactile system is stimulated by finger paint, molding clay and proprioceptive system by hammocks, bean bags, etc. Many toys tickle different senses at the same time and the child can benefit a lot while playing with your perfect gift. Besides that, it is also good if your gift will help a child to develop his/her social interaction.

In order to compile this list of best gifts for children with autism, I focused mainly on advice from websites focusing on autism spectrum disorder and toys and gifts for children with autism chosen by parents who have experience with autistic children. These include: Cafe mom, National Autism Resources (I also considered their offer according to age groups and skills targeted by a specific toy), CBS News list compiled by parents and Toys”R”Us Toy Guide for “Differently-Abled Kids” who also created shopping lists according to various skills. Recommendations on this list of best gifts for children with autism contain most frequently mentioned gifts, including specific toys as well as more general ones such as books and puzzles (of course specific recommendations will be included). I chose gifts that include various skills in order to have a variety of choices. The order of gifts on this list is random because one idea can be bad for one child and absolutely thrilling gift for another, hence making ranking impossible. We give ideas, and you make the final decision when it comes to best gifts for autistic children. Let’s take a look:

10. Books

Autistic children enjoy many aspects of children books, including rhymes, repetitions and colorful drawings. Some of the good choices can be books with flaps, word books with a lot of pictures (try to avoid books with plain text, especially if the child is non-verbal) and books with different textures and fabrics in them. For younger children, Dr. Seuss collections are a good choice. New Horizons Professional ABA Services website made a list of recommended books for kids on autism spectrum which are created especially for them. Another interesting interactive book is My Little Yellow Taxi where children learn what it is like to drive a taxi. They can use the steering wheel, check the tire pressure, to pop out a cardboard key and almost everything else as a real car. Children with autism often don’t engage in pretend play and this book is a perfect choice to engage them in a pretend play and have a lot of fun as well. These are, of course, just a couple of recommendation but there are many, many more books suitable for autistic children.

9. Board games

Board games, the number nine on our list of best gifts for autistic children also make a great gift for children with autism. While playing board games, the child learns turn taking and social interaction by paying attention to other players. Still, the main focus stays on the board game rather than on other people which suits children with autism spectrum disorder who often avoid eye contact and social interactions. We’ve already compiled a list of 7 best board games for children with autism (linked in the intro part), so you can take a look and maybe find a perfect gift.

8. Puzzles

Puzzles, the next one on the list of best gifts for autistic children are among favorite activities for autistic children. By choosing a perfect puzzle you can easily be the person who bought that perfect gift for a birthday party. Autistic children enjoy watching the puzzle pieces slowly forming a completing picture. They also improve problem-solving skills and promote motor skill development. National Autism Resources website compiled a list of recommended, best-selling puzzles for children with autism and we advise you to take a look. Make sure to consider age group of a child when choosing a puzzle. Less complicated puzzles are appropriate for small children while older children will find more pleasure in complicated puzzles. Interestingly enough, the puzzle ribbon was adopted in 1999 as a universal sign of autism awareness. The puzzle pattern reflects the complexity of autism spectrum disorders and diversity of autistic persons. While choosing a perfect puzzle (especially if it is for an older child) don’t underestimate the puzzle-solving skills of autistic persons.

7. Sensory Fun Pack

This gift that’s next on the list of best gifts for autistic children is really specifically designed for children with autism. It comes in various sizes to suit the needs of 5-year-old children all the way to adults. Yes, they have Sensory Fun Packs for adults. This gift is a bit pricey but it contains a lot of fun items. It includes: body sox, vibrating mitt, mini light spinner, pin art, squeeze ball and tangle toy. The great thing about Sensory Fun Pack is that each item can be played with separately and some of them can be carried around (such as the squeeze ball and tangle toy). If this is too expensive, you can always choose one of these items and buy them separately.

6. Spin Again

Spin Again is a perfect choice for autistic children who love to spin things. It is colorful, simple and very fun. This toy is made from a couple of colorful rings on a special corkscrew rod. While discs are descending, they create tons of visual feedback. This is a simple and one of the best gifts for autistic children.

5. Sound Cancelling Headphones

This will be a perfect gift for an autistic child who has a hard time dealing with noise. They help sound-sensitive kids to manage stress and anxiety levels by controlling the level of noise that surrounds them. It can help them concentrate and cope with problematic behaviors related to hyper-reactivity to auditory stimuli. If the child is sensitive to auditory stimuli, this is a perfect gift. Otherwise, it is better to choose something else from our list of best gifts for autistic children.

4. LEGO

Yes, the good old LEGO, the number four on our list of best gifts for autistic children is a perfect gift. Playing with LEGO improves child’s fine motor skills, visual perceptual motor skills, cognitive skills, sensorimotor skills and efficacy skills. Yes, all this happens while the child creates towers, pathways and what not with Lego bricks. Believe it or not, there is LEGO® therapy for autistic children. This type of therapy was pioneered by Dr. Dan LeGoff who noticed that autistic children, who were otherwise uninterested in any kind of interaction, started socializing with each other while playing LEGO. It is a multi-sensory, fun which makes it a perfect gift.

3. Educational DVD’s

According to a study from Boston University, about 30% of people with autism spectrum disorder remain non-verbal. However, there are many ways to encourage a child to improve his/her language skills. One of those is the use of educational DVD’s. Baby Bumblebee website has a variety of available DVD’s designed to help autistic children improve their speech.

2. Jump Smart Trampoline

Almost every child loves jumping on a trampoline. Jump Smart Trampoline, the number two on the list of best gifts for autistic children offers learning as part of having fun while jumping. It contains multi-game sound system where the child can enhance skills in counting, sound recognition, etc. Jump Smart Trampoline has a choice of five games: animal sounds, memory matches, bounce counting, silly sounds and musical statues. It helps the child to improve motor skill, auditory skills, memory and to learn to count. Trampoline is completely covered in soft safety cushions and it is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

1. Kinetic Sand

The number one on our list of best gifts for autistic children, the Kinetic Sand is a great gift for autistic children since it involves a wide range of sensory activities. It is a hands-on material which can help in building fine motor sWe’ve already compiled a list of 7 best board games for children with autism, so you can take a look and maybe find a perfect gift.
kills. It stimulates tactile system and it is good even for autistic children who hate getting their hands dirty because kinetic sand is not sticky at all. Even if the child does not want to touch it immediately, he/she can play with tools first and then move on to play with hands as well. On the other hand it is also perfect for children who crave for tactile input since they can touch, crush and squeeze the sand as much as they want and it will never dry. It can also have a calming and therapeutic effect. You can also read more about the benefits of kinetic sand in therapies on this link.  It is a great gift for an autistic child as well as his/her parents since this sand does not create mess. This list offered 10 best gifts for autistic children and we hope you will make someone smile while buying some of these gifts.