Saturday, 01 August 2009

• Christmas in July

  I couldn't help but notice that Christmas in July has become a popular theme for sales. Advertisements on television and print are pushing people to do their Christmas shopping now. It is no wonder that by the time Christmas comes around, we tend to feel worn out and are flipping channels when we see a Christmas commercial.
  
  For me, shopping for my kids puts me in the holiday spirit. I like to wait and do my shopping in December. Shopping for my daughter is easy. She likes everything. Shopping for my son is always difficult. I want to get him something he will like, but I am also looking at it from a therapy stand point. I tend to look at toys and ask myself "What can this teach him?" I see things that I would absolutely love to get him, but I have to stop and consider how my son would feel about it. There are a lot of toys that boys his age would love, but he could care less. 
  
  If you are buying for a special needs child, especially one that is autistic, you may feel like you are hitting your head against a brick wall. You need to think about the child you are buying for. Find out what skills the child's parents are concentrating on. This will give you an idea of what type of toys you should be zeroing in on. There is a book that might help you, too. It is called Smart Play Smart Toys by Stevanne Auerbach. It offers a lot of great advice about what toys are good for specific areas of development and age. It has information about how to pick out toys at the store, and how to determine whether or not a toy will be a good fit for a child. The author sent me this book to look over, and I think it is a great book to read before you do any more shopping for toys.
  
  If you really want to make Christmas special for a child with autism, my best advice is to stop thinking about getting the perfect toy. With my son, the perfect present is not a toy. It is a deck of cards, a bag of Doritos, or a photo album with family pictures in it. My point is, you need to consider what the child likes before buying anything. If it is a toy, great. If it isn't, that's great too. When my son was little, the best part of Christmas was tearing off the wrapping paper. He didn't care about his gifts, he just liked tearing the wrapping paper. Finally, listen to the parents. If they tell you to stay away from certain things, DO NOT go out and buy it anyways. You might think it is adorable, but the child the gift is for won't. In the end, it is the child's opinion and reaction that counts.

  How do you find the best gift to give someone?
  

  
  

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