Great Gift Ideas for Autistic Children

With holiday season fast approaching, it’s time to scheme gift ideas! But finding useful and entertaining gifts for kids with autism can be tricky. For the past few years, we’ve compiled lists of gift ideas for autistic children. These categorized suggestions come from experts at our clinics as well as popular preferences from our clients.

A few things to note: Remember to consider the child’s interests and developmental stage. If they love a certain character or sport for example, find something that includes that. Or if they are intrigued by a certain sensory experience, such as fluffy or smooth items, gift from those categories. Their developmental stage also might not match age-appropriate toys and activities, so keep in mind what they might enjoy based on their abilities and interests.

Here is your guide with great gift ideas for an autistic child (or teen)!

Gifts that encourage movement

Many kids with autism often need to incorporate lots of movement into their day to counteract sensory issues. Try an anti-burst peanut exercise ball for core strength development and calming deep pressure, or a balance board for balance and coordination.

Additionally, according to one of our Occupational Therapists, jumping is an excellent way for kids to get sensory input. She suggests a monkey jump, where small children can engage in a game of Five Little Monkeys. A mini trampoline is another fantastic go-to option for kids who need to get energy out.

Sensory gift ideas

Water beads are a huge favorite of our clients. After expanding in water, put them in a bin and let kids run their hands through them for some mesmerizing sensory fun.

Sometimes a child with autism finds solace with alone time. Make a peaceful haven in a tent that you can fill with pillows, stuffed animals, or any other objects that help your child experience calm.

Poke-A-Dot books offer interactive sensory input while enjoying a story. Children can pop the dots on each page, which is a great opportunity for fine motor skills.

If your child often gets overstimulated and likes body pressure, try a weighted vest, blanket, or neck wrap. The added weight can aid in focus and help kids feel safe and secure.

Toys that support fine motor skills

Kinetic sand is a perfect gift for kids that like to squish, mold, and create—another favorite of our clients. As opposed to real sand, kinetic sand prevents big messes as it sticks together. Scoop into molds or build little creatures and sandcastles for fine motor practice.

Do you have a child who loves taking things apart and putting back together? Check out this take-apart car, complete with a drill. Our OTs utilize these cars during sessions to encourage fine motor skills. The car can also go for a drive when construction is completed, offering an enticing reward at the end of a task.

Do.A.Dot markers help kids work on fine motor skills through learning to hold and control something in their hand. With a sponge tip applicator, they are also mess-free! These markers are a great option for quick art projects.

Gifts for tweens and teens

Many of these gifts work for younger children, but may not satisfy needs of older kids and teens with autism. Finding gifts for teens can be difficult, but we suggest fidget-friendly items than can ease stress. As kids get older, they need to concentrate longer on tasks. Gifting a fidget spinner, a Kinekt gear ring, or finger fidget pencils can therapeutically relieve extra energy and stress when trying to focus.

Stocking stuffers

Try these smaller items to stick in a stocking. “Pop-its” are all the rage right now, for both neurotypical and autistic children—we see many around our clinics! Therapy putty often comes in a small container for easy transport to pull out and squish when needed. Our clients also enjoy stretchy tubes that pop and bend. For kiddos who like to mouth items, try packs of fun-shaped chewies such as these shark teeth. An anti-stress toy like this cool fidget or a liquid timer can simultaneously entertain and ease sensory induced anxiety.

Gift ideas to treat parents

If you’re planning to give to a child with autism, it’s a nice gesture to gift their parents as well. Parents of kids with special needs often endure a lot of stress. Self-care and fun experiences are excellent options, such as a manicure/pedicure, a massage, restaurant gift cards, or movie gift certificates. A relaxing night out is often a wonderful gift for parents, given all they balance!

We hope we’ve helped take some of the stress out of your holiday shopping this year with these great gift ideas for autistic children. For even more gift suggestions, be sure to check out all our holiday gift guides.

Receiving an Autism Diagnosis: What To Do Next

autism diagnosis what to do next

You’ve just received an autism diagnosis for your child. You may be feeling a mix of emotions, from shock, fear, guilt, overwhelm, confusion, or perhaps relief and clarity. Whatever may be going through your mind, know that you are not alone in this journey. You are one of thousands of parents navigating the reality of having a child with autism. This journey brings both joy and struggle, and we are here to help you through it.

In the meantime, here are some helpful steps to take.

Learn about ASD

According to recent 2021 findings by the CDC, 1 in 44 children are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD can cause social, communication, and behavioral challenges. Yet symptoms of autism greatly differ from person to person.

Social

Social challenges within ASD may include making eye contact, lack of recognition of nonverbal cues, lack of emotional facial expressions and obsessive interests.

Communication

Communication challenges may include difficulty developing language skills, understanding others, slower tempo of speech, and making appropriate facial expressions.

Behavioral

Behavioral challenges may include repetitive behaviors such as hand flapping or rocking, sensory processing issues, aversion to touch, rigidities in routines, emotional meltdowns, refusal to follow demands, and self-injurious behavior.

In addition to the above, children diagnosed with autism may also struggle with fine and gross motor skills, such as balance and grasping objects. This can also lead to difficulty acquiring daily living skills like dressing, brushing teeth, writing and more.

If you are just learning about autism or want to continue educating yourself, check out these autism education and awareness organizations:

Autism Alliance of Michigan https://autismallianceofmichigan.org/

National Autism Association https://nationalautismassociation.org/

Find support for yourself

Receiving an autism diagnosis can cause stress and worry in parents. It’s crucial to get support for yourself and your partner if you are going through this journey together.

Some ways to ensure you have support include:

  • Reach out to other parents of children with ASD to hear how they have navigated their journey
  • Taking time to process for yourself or with your partner. Maybe have someone watch your child(ren) so you can have space to take in the news of the diagnosis, sift through any information you’ve received, and formulate questions for medical professionals and autism specialists.
  • Seek counseling to help you process. At Healing Haven, we help parents process their child’s diagnosis through our counseling program. In counseling, parents identify triggers for stress, develop goals to manage stress, and learn to navigate relationships. Additionally, we have an ABA Parent Training program, created by our director, Jamie McGillivary. In this program, parents acquire stress management techniques while learning principles of ABA to help support their child’s development.

Seek therapeutic help for your child

Once a child is diagnosed, the evaluation team will often recommend various therapies to support the child’s development. It is important to check with your insurance plan to see what coverage your plan has for an autism diagnosis. The most common therapies recommended include the following:

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Therapy

ABA focuses on developing social, communication, play and learning skills through positive reinforcement. ABA is one of the most common therapies used in autism treatment and is backed by 50 years of research. At Healing Haven, we provide high quality ABA therapy in our clinics. We believe in a more natural and holistic approach to help the child carry over what they are learning into other settings. We also leverage incidental teaching, utilizing the child’s natural interests and motivations.

Occupational Therapy (OT)

The goal of Occupational Therapy is to increase skills in daily living and the use of everyday objects (such as eating and drinking, dressing, writing, etc.) Benefits of OT for individuals with autism include sensory processing, focus, emotional expression, and independence in everyday tasks.

Speech Therapy

Speech Therapy treats speech and communication disorders. It is incredibly beneficial for those with autism, as ASD contains a wide range of communication abilities, from nonverbal to extremely verbal and talkative. Speech Therapy helps individuals communicate through picture icons, electronic talking devices, reading body language, asking and answering questions, and grammatically correct sentences.

Counseling

Some children and teens diagnosed with autism do not require more intensive ABA Therapy. However, they could benefit from individual counseling. This provides a space for those with ASD to process life challenges. In counseling, individuals with autism meet with a certified therapist specially trained in ASD issues. ASD clients learn coping strategies for frustration or anxiety, manage sensory processing issues, and developing social skills.

Create structure for your child

Individuals with autism function well within structured environments. If you haven’t already done so, start creating predictability for your child’s day.

Make a visual schedule for your child to refer to if they are anxious about what will come next in their day. You could fill it out together the night before or in the morning, for instance. There are hundreds of ideas and templates for creating fun, kid-appealing visual schedules. (Try these free printables!)

Another way to help your child with structure is giving time warnings before an activity ends. For example, if your child is engaging in play with a preferred toy or activity, give 15, 10, and/or 5 minute warnings. Setting timers might be helpful as well. This helps your child be aware that change is coming. They will also learn to emotionally regulate better with a heads-up, especially if sudden change can trigger meltdowns.

As mentioned before, you are not alone in this journey of raising a child with autism. Above all, the most important thing you can do is make sure both you and your child get the support needed. And it’s our team’s mission at Healing Haven to provide you that support. We are in your corner.

For more information, be sure to check out these blogs!

6 Ideas for Practicing Social Skills with Autistic Children

Communication and Autism: 4 Resources to Help

The Benefits of Organized Space for Individuals With Autism

Supporting Siblings of Children With Autism

Supporting Siblings of Children With Autism

Raising a child with autism affects the whole family in both positive and challenging ways.  But so much of your attention as a parent goes to caring for your child with autism, and understandably so. In turn, siblings may struggle with very legitimate challenges that come from having a brother or sister on the spectrum. How do you build relationships with and attend to all your children while still meeting the needs of your child on the spectrum? With some planning and intentional communication, you can manage time spent with each child and tune in to your neurotypical children’s needs as well.

Sibling Stress

According to a 2019 study, siblings of children with autism tend to face more social and emotional struggles than those with neurotypical siblings. Some challenges typically developing siblings may face include:

  • Embarrassment around friends or the public when a sibling with autism displays certain behaviors
  • Jealousy for attention from parents who are often preoccupied with the child on the spectrum
  • Experiencing aggressive behaviors from sibling with autism
  • Anxiety from lack of information about a sibling’s disability, as well as responsibility for their sibling
  • Wanting to make up for the sibling with autism’s shortcomings to ease their parent’s mind

It’s easy for parents of a child with autism to feel discouraged and maybe even guilty upon learning the difficulties their neurotypical children face. While you are doing the very best you can, there are ways to balance your time and attention for all your children.

Supporting Neurotypical Siblings

Tune In

Recognizing the challenges your typical child may face is crucial to their sense of safety and care. Notice how they may react to difficult moments with their sibling on the spectrum or how they respond to you or your partner when around their sibling. Awareness of behaviors and emotions can open up problem solving possibilities that you may have thought were insurmountable.

Communicate

Talk about autism openly and accurately so your kids understand their sibling. As mentioned earlier, siblings of children with autism can feel anxious if not kept in the loop about everything that’s happening with their brother or sister. Start conversations with your typical children and let them know it’s ok to ask questions or experience difficult feelings. For example, debrief with your typical child after their sibling has a public meltdown. Listen to how they’re feeling and empathize with them, acknowledging the hard moment and how it affected you both. Additionally, keep communication ongoing. Your life with a child with autism is a huge part of your family dynamics so involve all members in honest communication that is appropriate to their age level.

Plan

Spending one-on-one time with your children lays the foundation for that open and ongoing communication. Attention doesn’t have to be constant for all your kids, but make sure it is consistent. One great way to maintain consistency is planning special uninterrupted one-on-one time with your typical kids. Perhaps this looks like a short nightly bedtime activity or getting a treat each weekend. Intentionally setting aside time will help your children feel seen and understood. You can even trade off with your spouse or partner if circumstances allow. Whether you plan the special times together bi-weekly, weekly, or even bi-monthly, the important part is that you’re consistently checking in with your children. It will mean a lot to them, more than you may realize.

Boundaries

You may utilize your child with autism’s siblings to care for them from time to time. Avoid overburdening your typical children with too many responsibilities with their sibling. Acknowledge that your child needs their space regularly, just as you need space occasionally as well. Setting boundaries together is helpful, such as asking your child when they feel overwhelmed in caring for their sibling and coming up with a plan on how to communicate that.

Additionally, prioritize safe spaces. Siblings are often targets for aggressive behavior from a brother or sister on the spectrum. Help your child learn how to respond when such behaviors occur, as well as storing valuable belongings in a place inaccessible to their sibling. Uphold the importance of respecting your typical kids’ space and personal items.

Benefits of Having a Sibling on the Spectrum

Let’s not forget that challenges make us learn and become better people. Despite adversities typically developing siblings face, there is a plethora of good things that come from being a sibling of a child with autism. Siblings of children with special needs are more likely to go into helping professions such as teaching, special education, and medical professions. Some of our own Healing Haven staff have family members with a disability, and a few of our families have typical children who have gone on to thrive in such careers.

Likewise, typically developing siblings grow up utilizing skills such as compassion, empathy, and patience. They learn to advocate for not only their brother or sister but for other individuals with special needs they may encounter. Those with a brother or sister on the spectrum can see the world from different perspectives just as their sibling does, developing conflict resolution skills. Finally, the daily challenges that typical siblings face can mold them into a person of maturity, leadership and courage.

Keep in mind that how you respond to your child’s disability will be how your typical children respond. Set a clear example of positivity for your family so your typical kids will see less hindrances and more joy. Amidst all the challenges, siblings of kids with autism are rockstars in life!

Outside Support

You don’t have to support your neurotypical child alone. Support groups such as the Sibling Support Project connect children who have siblings with special needs, allowing a space for kids to process the ups and downs of living with their sibling. Likewise, encourage your neurotypical children to befriend peers who have a sibling with autism. Just like adults, when kids have friends who understand them, they will experience less isolation and more allyship.

More Resources

  • Our ABA Parent Training provides ideas for supporting typical children in how they interact with their sibling. Additionally, we provide counseling for siblings so they have a safe place to talk through their experiences and help them navigate their often complex world.
  • Check out this book on siblings and autism: Siblings of Children With Autism: A Guide For Families