Looking for that last-minute gift for the special needs child in your life? Here are some things to consider:

1. Pick a gift that emphasizes the child’s likes and interests. This is true for any child, but when a child has disabilities, it is important to truly consider what they like to do and what they gravitate toward. For example, a child who is sensory-seeking might enjoy toys with lots of tactile stimulation to them. There are all kinds of balls and textured toys that would be of interest and could be used for games that build coordination. LuLu loves insects, biology and anything medical. Science toys of nearly every type are a hit with her.
2. Use an area of strength to build upon a weakness. If a child is addicted to video games, but a very poor speller, perhaps a spelling video game would be the ticket. If a child has difficulty with social interaction, there may be a game or interactive toy that capitalizes on their areas of interest (like in LuLu’s case, science) that would allow opportunity for social interaction around the child’s area of interest.
3. Pick a gift that is emotionally and developmentally appropriate. The gift should match their developmental and emotional age, not necessarily their chronological one. If the child is not able, for example because of fine motor impairments, to do the craft gift, then it will be highly frustrating. It doesn’t matter how old the child is, if playing with dolls or cars or other toys is the stage they’re in…then it is appropriate. Children who have missed developmental steps benefit greatly from getting the chance to do this through play.
4. Ask their parents. If you’re buying for a special needs child and you just don’t know what would work – ASK! Most parents know exactly what their child would like and is capable of playing with.
5. Not everything has to “help” the child. A hang-up we often have, since LuLu has been behind developmentally, is wanting to buy her gifts that will “help” her. Sometimes this has been successful – like when Santa brought a trampoline. But special needs children don’t want all their gifts to be about “fixing” them any more than we would like to receive nothing but self-help books, exercise videos or money management magazine subscriptions. Sometimes the light-hearted fun gift not designed to teach them a thing is the best one of all!