Each year Autism Live curates a list of top toys and gifts in a wide range of categories and developmental levels to help you find the perfect gift to delight the children, teens and adults in your life who are on the Autism Spectrum. This year we have chosen toys in various price ranges to help you make the perfect holiday selection and to build new connections.  We hope there is something to delight everyone on your list!

Top Toy Winner

Jelly Blox

Goliath

Description

2+ Years

Jelly Blox – the only blocks that bend the rules! Jelly Blox is a patent pending building system for toddlers and preschoolers that kids can squeeze, stretch, and squish! Designed to support key developmental milestones through the fun of tactile, sensory play.  A few special blocks are also filled with fun sensory items to dial up the fun!

Autism Live Says:

OMG!  We LOVE these squishy blocks and all their sensory surprises! We love the squishy fun of building with them, but we especially love that even if you step on them there is no pain, only squish!

Therapist Recommendation Toy Winner

Hocus Pocus Everybody Focus

Briarpatch

Description

3+Years

This fun game is designed to capture the attention young learners and teach focus, memory, and concentration skills in a fun and interactive way. Can be played with 2 to 4 players, encouraging group play and social interaction among children and family members. Easy to Learn, Quick to Play: Simple rules and quick setup ensure that children can start playing and enjoying the game right out of the box.

Autism Live Says:

We love the way this game makes building focus skills ridiculously fun! The whole family will enjoy the quick play and fun outcomes.

STEM Toy Winner

Clixo

Clixo

Description

4+ Years

Clixo’s award-winning multi-sensory, magnetic building pieces ignite your child’s imagination like never before! With flexible shapes and secure magnetic connections, kids can click, snap, fold, and flex their way to endless creative builds—from animals to abstract designs—for hours of engaging, hands-on fun.  A quick start guide helps build their first five exciting designs, while intuitive magnet feedback lets them know each piece is securely in place.

Autism Live Says:

We love the way Clixo bends to make all kinds of shapes.  We also love the feedback children get from the magnets – if the connection works they snap together effortlessly, if the connection will not work the magnets repel each other!

Speech Builder Toy Winner

Talk and Teach Farm™

The Learning Journey®

Description

2+ Years

Little ones will harvest a lot of learning with the Talk & Teach Farm. It will teach little ones who are learning to talk by expanding their vocabulary skills and reinforcing sight word recognition in a fun and interactive way. Talk & Teach Farm includes 60 learning cards teaching numbers, colors, food, and things found on the farm. All cards fit neatly inside the unit for great “on the go” learning fun!

Autism Live Says:

This game is great for on the go learning!  Bring it in the car and let the child choose the cards they want to insert in the barn.  They will have tons of choices and loads of fun learning labels of animals, colors, numbers and more!

Social Skills Builder Toy Winner

Kinspiration Kit: Social Play with Bigfoot

Slumberkins

Description

3+ Years

Join Bigfoot for a social play experience to learn how self-esteem and positive friendships can help us be brave and strong. “Bigfoot Asks to Play” book begins the adventure, while activity cards, wooden creatures, and clubhouse playset help bring the fun to life.  Thoughtfully designed by a family therapist and special education teacher.

Autism Live Says:

We have not been able to stop talking about this unique and truly special toy.  Bigfoot’s interactive treehouse is the stuff every child dreams of and every parent dreams of giving their child, but there is soooo much more to this toy!  The book and activities elevate this toy to make it absolutely one of our favorite toys!!

Sensory Toy Winner

Teenie NeeDoh Cool Cats

Schylling

Description

3+ Years

NeeDoh Cool Cats in a teenie size come in a variety of bright, neon colors. Each Teenie Needoh Cool Cat measures 1.5″ in diameter and is filled with squishy goodness for hours of sensory fun. This toy does not contain latex and the covering and dough inside are hypoallergenic.

Autism Live Says:

We love these teenie squishy kitties!  We love their small size so the can go easily in a pocket or a backpack. They come is sets of three so they can be shared with a friend. It’s great sensory, social and fine motor skills building fun!

Parents Recommendation Toy Winner

Pete the Cat
Bedtime Blues Game

Briarpatch

Description

3+ Years

Based on the NY Times best-selling kid’s book series and animated show by James Dean, this game requires no reading. Kids can pretend and play Pete the Cat piece as they act out bedtime activities. Put the Pete the Cats onto the bed and then press the bed post to see if the cats jump out of bed. Encourages pretending to do bedtime activities with action spaces on the board like “Take a Bath” and “Brush Teeth.

Autism Live Says:

This hilarious game very cleverly teaches your child bedtime routines while making it FUN!  We love that! Our favorite thing about this game is the built in suspense!  You never know when the bed will bounce and cats will jump out of the bed.  It really adds to the fun of the game!

Oldie but Goodie Toy Winner

Fisher-Price
Classic Teaching Clock

Basic Fun

Description

12+ Months

This classic toy teaches how to read an analogue clock, an important skills that is often overlooked.  Little hands love to turn the dial to see what happens at different times of the day.

Autism Live Says:

We love this classic toy and the way it teaches children to tell time and understand the importance of telling time. This toy has taught generations of children how to tell time. Your older relatives will be delighted. 

Motor Play Toy Winner

Criss Cross Applesauce

Briarpatch

Description

3+ years

Players sit in a circle, in a socially inclusive game that encourages interaction and communication among participants. The game involves physical activities like mimicking animals or performing simple tasks, promoting gross motor skills. Participants are encouraged to interpret and perform the activities on the cards in their own unique way, fostering creativity and self-expression.

Autism Live Says:

This fun game gets kids moving, interacting and listening. Our favorite thing is when the guessing is over, someone yells, “Criss Cross Applesauce!” and this is the signal for all the players to be seated.  This is a great lesson to help children to be prepared for kindergarten!  We love it.

Kid's Choice Toy Winner

Haylo the Horse

Bene World Toys

Description

3+ years

Haylo the Horse helps children recognize emotions like Happiness, Sadness, Anxiety, and Anger.  Each time a child deals with one of these emotions in a positive way, they earn a token to put in the toked slot on Haylo’s back.  All the tokens collect in Haylo’s specially designed pouch, ready to be traded in for a reward and then used again and again! Each Haylo the Horse Kit comes with Haylo, 15 Bene Buddies Tokens, and the storybook Haylo Lends A Helping Hoof.

Autism Live Says:

We love this wonderful plushy horse and the beautiful way he teaches children positive ways to deal with their big emotions.  The built-in token economy that comes with this toy is pure genius, and it works!

Empowering Employment Skills Toy Winner

S.T.E.A.M. Girls

Theodora S.T.E.A.M. Girls

Description

3+ Years
Tyriqa is one of five dolls, each having a diverse background and a unique superpower that helps them on their adventures. Tyriqa is an aspiring Technologist who encourages young girls to explore the world of technology. Each sort and cuddly doll comes with an 8 Page Sticker Activity Booklet!

Autism Live Says:

We love these adorable and well-made dolls.  The are a great doll for any child, but we especially love that they each love some aspect of  STEAM and have an activity booklet for your child to learn more about their interests.

Educational Toy Winner

Whirly Gears

Discovery Toys®

Description

3+ Years

This truly unique construction set features 8 large-sized gears, each with a different shape and color. Each gear features a translucent core with colored beads for multi-sensory engagement as well as a removable colored frame. Combine the wacky gears with large colored brick pieces to build a variety of horizontal and vertical spinning designs.

Autism Live Says:

We love this amazing toy for the way it sparks joy in children while working on early engineering and problem solving skills. This is a well made toy that will provide your child with hours of educationally enriched FUN!

Best Card/Board Game Winner

Letter, Number or Bug?

Briarpatch

Description

3+ years
This game includes a variety of cards featuring letters, numbers, and bug images to engage players in different types of recognition and matching tasks. Players actively search for matching tiles, encouraging physical movement as part of the gameplay. This helps children learn and reinforce their knowledge of the alphabet, basic numeracy, and different insects in a playful context.

Autism Live Says:

This fun game builds great cognition, memory and flexibility skills in children. It is fun to play in small groups also creating social skills opportunities.

Boredom Buster Toy Winner

Art Rods

Underdog Educational™

Description

3+ Years

Art Rods: The Magic of Shapeable Learning
Soft, colorful, and endlessly shapeable, Art Rods are more than just toys—they are tools for imagination. With art rods, your child can bring their wildest ideas to life. From crafting toys and animals to building alphabet letters and prototype products, the possibilities are boundless. These versatile rods also transform into signs and artwork, making learning through play a colorful and captivating experience.

Autism Live Says:

We love the endless ways your child can use these bendable rods to express themselves and their creativity.  We also love an art project that leaves no mess and has no set-up time!

Best Video Game Winner

Camp Discovery

Autism Learning Games

Description

2+ Years
Camp Discovery was designed specifically to help young learners on the autism spectrum to gain language.  Using errorless learning the app paces itself to the learner offering rewards and mini games making learning fun and efficient.

Autism Live Says:

We love the way children learn language using this app!  It is perfect for car trips to and from school and therapies!  Why waste time when your child can be having a good time, playing a game that actually helps grow language?

Best Puzzle Winner

Logic Road Builder Puzzle

Bonitoto

Description

4+ Years

This Montessori Toys has the perfect design, with 120 exciting challenges to pass on fun and learning and 4 different difficulty levels for children of different ages. Follow the level requirements to build a connecting path from start to finish on the base plate using designated pieces. Let the car transport the marble ball to the end smoothly. It’s good for training and improving the kid’s logical thinking, focus and observation, color cognition and to learn about cause and effect.

Autism Live Says:

We love the way the puzzle uses roads to promote cognitive skills, like problem solving, and spatial reasoning. The reward for solving the puzzle is that the car can glide easily on the track.

Best Book Winner

Awesome Dawson Has Big Emotions

Boys Town Press

Description

4+ Years

Awesome Dawson experiences lots of strong emotions – anger, sadness, excitement, and worry. Each one feels gigantic. Can he, with the help of a caring teacher, find a way to harness those emotions in a safe, healthy way? Or will Dawson’s biggest feelings be the boss of him?

Bestselling author Julia Cook and renowned play therapist Dr. Rebeca Chow team up in this colorful, empowering story about how to stop emotions from spinning out of control. 

Autism Live Says:

This is the perfect story book to read with your child to help them understand their feelings, even the ones that feel to big to control.  We love the special page for parents and teachers to help them use the book to support their children/students.

Best Art/Craft Winner

Sensory Painting and Drawing Packs

Micador

Description

2+ Years

These all-in-one art activity packs are specially designed to encourage sensory development, fine motor skills, and inspire creativity and imagination. Encourage your child to learn through discovery, creativity and imagination by creating a calming project with these unique kits.

Autism Live Says:

We love that everything you need is included in the kit.  They are incredibly well thought out kits that do all the work for the parent so the parent can simply enjoy the sensory aspects of art with their child!

Don’t forget to check out all the fabulous toy and gift winners in other categories.

You might find exactly what you are looking for there!

We at AUTISM Live

wish you the

Happiest of Holidays!

After all of your shopping is done, if you find that you have more to give, please join us in making a donation of any size to Autism Care Today (ACT). This wonderful organization gives grants to families for things like iPads, insurance co-pays, sensory equipment, GPS devices and more. Your donation could make another family’s holiday wishes come true.

VISIT www.act-today.org

TODAY and make a DONATION.