Choosing gifts for a child with Special needs

Normally, when you select a gift for a child, you must take gender, age and interest into consideration. Developmental disabilities add more dimensions- developmental ability, cognitive capability, behavioral challenges, physical capabilities and sensory challenges.

Older kids with developmental disabilities may be extremely challenging to buy gifts for- they may need something that is developmentally appropriate as far as safety that would equate to toys for kids 18 months and up yet they have the INTERESTS of an 8 year old, the fine motor skills of a 4 year old and have sensory needs that are hard to fill. You, the buyer, may also need the toy to be affordable and probably with a return or exchange option just in case while making the child happy on their special day. How do you find a toy to meet those criteria?

I do love shopping online! All of these links go directly to Amazon. If you are unfamiliar with Amazon, they have a great "Super Saver" shipping policy- if you buy $25 worth of items with the "Super Saver" icon on them- then shipping for those items is free! If you do find something you liked and wish to purchase it through any of the links on this page I want to let you know that I will earn a small commission. Prices on Amazon fluctuate and sometimes may not automatically be reflected in the modules below (sometimes it takes a day or so).

Here are a few simple things to keep in mind while searching, but most importantly...

Please remember- with a little extra thought, when you give a toy to a child with special needs, you may also be giving them a great opportunity.

Will the child throw the toy? If so, it had better be either soft or unbreakable. Avoid gifts like snowglobes and rubick's cubes (they REALLY hurt when they get you in the head).

Will the child climb on it? Toys like the Mega Block Incredi Block, kitchens, castles or lego in a large box may be used as step stools for the climbers. If the parent is OK with something they can climb on, be sure to choose something wide enough to prevent it from flipping and without too many protrusions that would hurt to land on. If the child is an escape artist, avoid anything large enough to stand on.

Will they put it in their mouth? AVOID squishy jelly like toys that they could bite into, small pieces etc - choose a toy that is no smaller than the child's elbow- or better yet, yours! With a child that puts everything into their mouth, they may benefit from sensory therapy... this should be left up to the parents and a therapist! You should not give gum, chewy candy, hard candy, grapes, unsliced baby carrots or anything else that you imagine toddlers choking on to a special needs child (unless the child is yours and you know what they can handle!).

Kids with developmental disabilities may have an interest that is best described as obsession. You should check with the family to see if there is something special along those lines that the child does not yet have. Also it is good to check with them because they may be working on redirecting the child's interest to something more appropriate!

Depending upon the severity of the disability, the child may receive the most joy from a sensory gift! There are toys that are specially designed for kids with both physical and developmental disabilities that stimulate the senses! Check if there is anything specific that the parents have been wanting to get or if there is anything that they believe the child would truly love!

Aside from not wanting to offend the child's potentially sensitive hearing, please remember that Mom and Dad have to live with the gift as well. Sometimes kids with special needs can to be a bit.... noisy with their toys, they will find the toy that makes noise and make it do that for hours and hours on end.

Eventually the parent may get tired of hearing it and have to take it away for a few minutes, this could trigger a nasty tantrum, more stress for the parents leading to more stress for the child. Please leave those choices up to the parents as well!

More importantly though, Because of the repetitive behaviors, the child is exposed to the sound more often than they would be otherwise, which is a potential health problem as the child may hold the toy close to their ears while making it do this- over time this can cause hearing loss.