Gift Ideas
When family and friends are coming to visit and they want to bring gifts for the kids, I think it is fine to help them generate ideas for your child with special needs. It can be hard for people who don’t see them very often to know what toys might be appropriate. In this case, my dad’s side of the family only saw Mikey a couple of times a year. They were coming for a Christmas visit, but Mikey had already gotten gifts from us and Dave’s family and my mom’s side of my family. To avoid duplicates and make sure that Mikey got things he could use, I gave my dad’s family some choices/ideas of gifts for Mikey in particular.
Two Suggestions
Give ideas that you know are within the buyer’s budget. Our kids are often happy with a sensory or fidget toy which might be very reasonably priced. Also, I think it is nice to give a few ideas and the buyers can choose – that way, they get to pick out their gift to your child which builds their bond…and our kiddos need all the love and bonding they can get.
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About the Author
Erica Mauro is a mom to two teenage boys, Will who is neurotypical and Michael with Autism and cognitive delays. She holds a BA in Psychology from Colgate University and a Masters of Psychology in Education from Columbia Teacher’s College. Before staying home with her children, she worked as an elementary school teacher. For five years, she served on the Board of Directors of the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation, a charity dedicated to enriching the lives of children with special needs. In partnership with her husband Dave, she aspires to parent by using daily life as an opportunity for therapeutic intervention, seizing on real experiences as opportunities to build skills and strategies for Michael in a joyful, loving home environment. On the tougher early days, she just tried to get everyone safely to bedtime and start fresh in the morning. *wink* 
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