Autism-World

Q:A good friend of mine is having a small party for her son and I am not sure what is appropriate for the boy. Although I have met him on a few occations (his younger sister and my son play), I have never spent any time with him so I do not understand the Autism. Any gift suggestions would be great as this family means a lot to me.

Answer:

Treat the gift buying experience as you would any other – go age appropriate or by a particular interest that you see. There are no one-size-fits-all ideas because of his Autism. Each person with this disability is very different. However, if you really feel you want to be “on the mark”, a developmental toy would be great, but which kind would need to be specific to the child’s needs.

You may want to ask the parent what gift categories to stay away from, as most kids with Autism have perseverations on certain things/topics.

You can also go to your local teacher store – they have all sorts of great games and toys that may be interesting for that age or interest.

As with any gift, you can always attach a receipt – I’m sure your friend will appreciate the gesture. Hope this helps. Good luck!

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This entry was posted on Friday, September 14th, 2007 at 8:35 pm and is filed under Ask and answer, Parent Resources.