Who doesn’t love giving a child a gift? Seeing their face light up does something for your heart. Giving a gift to a special needs child, however, can be a bit of a challenge. This is my personal guide based on what I have learned through trial, error, and research. I also want to thank my friends Jessaka and Malissa for helping me with ideas and suggestions for this post, along with the moms in our local community Facebook groups. There really are so many great gifts for sensory-seekers!
My son is like many in the autism community in that he has specific sensory needs.
He also has behavioral and developmental delays. At almost six years old, he is on the behavioral and developmental level of a four-almost-five-year-old child. Intellectually, he is advanced, like many on the spectrum are. When I am looking for toys for him and suggesting them to our loved ones, I keep all of this in mind. Some toys that are “age appropriate” for his biological age are not, in fact, appropriate for his developmental age. A child can also have multiple sensory needs. For example, Emmett is an oral sensory seeker, vestibular seeker, auditory seeker, and proprioceptive seeker.
One thing that I strongly encourage gift-givers to do is simply talk to the parents if you are unsure. It always helps to find out what the child’s specific sensory needs are so you can more easily pick out a toy that will be enjoyable and appropriate. Below, I will break down the different sensory types and suggest toys for each. I will also provide links and list a few local stores that have some of these toys.
Visual
A child who is a visual sensory seeker gets their visual stimulation through lights, patterns, or moving objects. Something that they can focus on with their eyes that is not overstimulating would be ideal. A “tap tap” light would be a great toy. A sensory projector light, sensory fidget toys, and—Emmett’s favorite— a bubble fish tower. These are all excellent for those who are Visual Sensory Seekers.
Olfactory
An olfactory seeker craves sensory stimulation via very strong, specific, or unusual scents. Children who have favorite scents that calm and soothe love toys that have these smells. Some examples are aroma silly putty, kits designed for scent stimulation, and scented weighted sand. A crowd-pleaser for sure is a scented and weighted stuffed animal, or even just a regular stuffed animal you can add essential oils to.
Taste/Oral
This is one very close to my heart as my son is an oral sensory seeker. We actually had a babysitter who brought it to my attention and then helped provide me with resources and toy ideas. This means we have to be extremely careful, since everything goes in his mouth and often poses a choking risk. I always look at the size of any toy parts, and I try to determine how easy they are to break. (Because if something can break easily, then it can go in his mouth.) These are just a few of my favorite oral stimulating toys:
- Infantino Lil’ Nibble Teethers
- The First Years Massaging Action Teether
- Chew Necklace
- Buzz Buddy Oral Stimulation Kit
Vestibular
A vestibular seeker seeks movement, whether that is swinging, spinning, jumping, rocking, climbing or any number of things. They enjoy and crave the feeling of moving around. Moving is essentially how they calm themselves. Vestibular input seeking allows for some very fun toys, and a wide variety of them can be used both indoors and outdoors. Some examples of these would be stepping stones, wobble discs, hopper balls, and sensory swings.
Auditory
This one is actually quite fascinating. Some children respond to certain sounds and noises that others do not. Some will prefer the quiet and some like loud noises. We have found that noise-reduction headphones have helped my son regulate quite well, whereas I cannot stand earbuds. (I can hear myself breathing and then become annoyed with myself.) Emmett also enjoys specific sounds being played. Some parents have headphones for their children who play different music or sounds on repeat. We have also found that a sound machine nearby playing ocean sounds is calming and helps in regulation. Other gift ideas for auditory-stimulation are pop tubes, a bumble ball, and rain sticks.
Tactile
Have you ever found yourself running your hand along a rug at the store because it is incredibly pleasing to the touch? Or have you felt a flower or other plant and enjoyed the softness of it? That’s tactile input seeking. We have two rugs in our house that are not only comfortable to look at but are also nice to touch as well. Certain textures, temperatures and even pressure are often sought after by tactile seekers. Some of the best toys for tactile input are the following:
Proprioceptive
Proprioceptive seekers kind feel like their body is just floating around. So they enjoy things like weighted vests or lifting something heavy or even jumping on a trampoline because of the impact they are able to feel on their bones and joints. This helps them feel the confines of their body. I actually had a physical therapist explain this to me when I was asking about Emmett constantly bouncing on his knees, which is a sign of proprioceptive input seeking. Vibrating pillows, wobble cushions, inflatable peapod chairs, and punching bags are great ways to get proprioceptive input.
I am now going to just list some of my favorite toys that I have gotten for Emmett that he has loved. These are things that all children would enjoy, though.
Don’t forget to check out the following stores in our Birmingham area for sensory-friendly toys and resources: 2nd and Charles, Target, Learning Express in Cahaba Heights, the Parent Teacher Store in Hoover, Homewood Toy and Hobby, and Five Below.
If you enjoyed this list, be sure to check out our local toy stores!
