Christmas Shopping for Kids and Adults with Autism

 

When I was a kid, my siblings and I eagerly awaited the arrival of the Sears Christmas catalog in the mail every November. Known as the Sears Wish Book, the catalog was published annually from 1933-2011. I imagine that in many households, children often impatiently waited their turns to see what the catalog displayed so that they could dream of what Santa would bring them. My brother, sister, and I used the Wish Book to make lists of what Christmas gifts we wanted each year, and every year my brother had to edit his lengthy list. Apparently realizing customers missed that annual tradition and the nostalgia that surrounded it, Sears revived the Wish Book this year with an online edition at their website and a limited printed version for their best customers.

Although the Wish Book was a staple of my childhood, Alex has grown up in the computer age where online shopping and the seemingly endless availability of products on Amazon have changed holiday shopping. By typing in a few clues, I have been able to find gifts that matched his unique interests. For example, his love of the irrational number pi led me to find a door-sized poster with the first one thousand digits of pi, a pie plate with the symbol of pi and several digits, a roll-up tape measure with several digits of pi, and several books about his favorite mathematical concept.

While others are out shopping on Black Friday, I’m home with my laptop scouring possible gifts for Alex. Added to the challenge of finding Christmas gifts he will love is the arrival of his birthday nine days before Christmas. In addition, he rarely gives any suggestions about what he would like, so I’m often working without the lists my siblings and I were kind enough to supply to my parents when we were kids.

Fortunately, other parents facing similar dilemmas of buying gifts for their children with autism have offered ideas and suggestions in helpful online lists. I recently discovered a great blog entry on the Recovering Kids Blog entitled, “Top 25 Foolproof Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids with Autism” that introduced me to the Boogie Board Jot. [To read this article, please click here.] After reading about the Boogie Board Jot, an LCD eWriter for writing lists and drawing with a stylus that can be erased with a push of a button, I knew this was ideal for Alex and his need to jot lists. Some comparison pricing online led me to ordering it from Best Buy, which also had free shipping.

Another great site for shopping is National Autism Resources, which offers a “Toy and Gift Guide for Autistic Kids and Teens.” [To see this list, please click here.] This user-friendly list allows the parent to shop by the age of the child and the type of toy, which is very helpful. Recognizing that many parents of children with autism seek toys that are not only entertaining but also educational, these toys are categorized under the skills they help teach and needs they help meet, such as gross and fine motor, calming, sensory, and social skills.

In gift giving, parents often need to think outside the box because our kids have unique interests and needs. When we find the right gift for our kids, we like to share those ideas with others who might also benefit from our fortunate finds. For example, Alex’s interest in astronomy and meteorology led me beyond books to three gifts that play essential roles in his daily/nightly living and are as important to his bedroom as the furniture. For example, Moon in My Room by Uncle Milton (available at many stores and online) hangs on the wall across from his bed. Using a remote control, he can click on various phases of the moon to light up the battery-operated moon. With an automatic shut-off device, the moon acts as a night light he turns on when he goes to bed but turns off on its own about the time he falls asleep. I think Alex also likes Moon in My Room because it reminds him of one of his favorite childhood bedtime stories, Goodnight Moon. Nonetheless, this Christmas gift continues to be a big hit with him.

After trying various star projectors that illuminate Alex’s ceiling with stars, we finally found one that doesn’t burn through batteries and bulbs quickly. The Vicks Starry Night Cool Moisture Humidifier runs on an electric plug and projects color changing stars on the ceiling with or without the cool mist humidifier. In the winter, the humidifier does double duty by providing moisture for the dry air and entertainment at night with the colorful stars.

Along with astronomy, Alex also has a keen interest in meteorology, and we have gone through a variety of weather stations over the years. A few years ago my brother found a terrific colorful weather station as a Christmas gift for Alex, and it’s one of his prized possessions. Sitting on his bedroom dresser, Alex checks it first thing in the morning and right before he goes to bed, as well as multiple times throughout the day. Alex likes knowing the current weather, indoor and outdoor temperatures and humidity, and the daily high and low data. In addition, this weather station shows the current time and date, two vital pieces of information for Alex. On this small screen, Alex has most of the information he thinks he needs to know every minute of the day. Needless to say, it was a perfect gift for him.

Another great source of entertainment and education, card games by Gamewright, which are available in many stores and online, can teach children and adults many valuable skills. Simply handling the cards helps develop fine motor skills, playing games teaches turn taking and other social skills, and the Gamewright games often address language skills. On Black Friday, I found various Gamewright card games on sale at the Kohl’s website that I thought would be fun and help increase Alex’s social and language skills. For example, Fitz It has the players name objects the fit the descriptions on the game cards, such as naming an object that “comes in a box” and “fits in a blender.” In Think ‘N Sync, players try to match answers to a given prompt, such as naming an ice cream flavor or a sport with halftime. This strikes me as a good way for people with autism to realize that other people may think differently than they do. In the Over Under Game, “The Game of Guesstimates,” players make their best guess and then check the correct answers to see if they were over or under in their estimates. For example, one of the six hundred questions is “How far away is Pluto?” This kind of trivia involving numbers is right up Alex’s alley, and he will probably memorize the answers, making him an even tougher opponent when we play along with Jeopardy every weekday.

Speaking of Jeopardy, for those who love game shows, as Alex does, Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune have online merchandise stores. Last year, I found a Jeopardy baseball cap for him on their site, and he now wears that hat whenever he watches the show. I believe it’s his thinking cap. This year, I found a similar one for Wheel of Fortune so that he can wear that cap when he’s watching Pat and Vanna and contestants solving puzzles every night.

While finding gifts our children will enjoy and perhaps even use to learn important skills can be tricky, especially when they have autism and unique interests and needs, the Internet has made Christmas shopping much easier. The availability of helpful search tools and parents sharing valuable tips makes shopping for our kids less stressful. With Cyber Monday tomorrow, many online stores will offer discounts and my personal favorite––free shipping––so that parents can not only find gifts for their beloved children but also save some money, as well. Until the gift of healing arrives, we search for those gifts that help our children learn and, more importantly, bring them joy.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7