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.  We hope there is something to delight everyone on your list!

Best Educational Toy Winner

Teaching Pre-Employment Skills to 14-17 Year Olds

By Joanne Lara and Susan Osborne

Description

Based on the Autism Works Now!® Workplace Readiness Workshop, this interactive resource shows how to help students aged 14-17 develop the necessary transition skills for getting and keeping a meaningful job, with accompanying worksheets available to download.

Autism Live Says:

This comprehensive book covers all of the skills, tools and resources needed to help tweens, teens and adults be job ready. We love the worksheets included in the book and having a road map to success!

Best Sensory Toy Winner

Shiatsu Back and Neck Massager

Zyllion

Description

Versatile and ergonomic compact pillow massager fits perfectly behind your neck and body contours of lower and upper back, abdomen, calf, and thigh areas. Powerful 3-dimensional deep-kneading shiatsu massage nodes help relax overused and tight muscles. 

Autism Live Says:

Caregivers don’t always have the time or the money to go to a spa, but they always can benefit from good self-care.  This massage pillow can safely be used at home to help de-stress and soothe aching, stiff muscles.

Best Card/Board Game Winner

Jeopardy! Card Game

Endless Games

Description

Enjoy America’s Favorite Quiz Show ® with this quick-to-play travel card game. Each deck plays out like a full episode, complete with Jeopardy!, Double Jeopardy!, and Final Jeopardy! rounds.

Autism Live Says:

We love Jeopardy® and the way this game allows us to play without a lot of set-up or even on the go! Trivia is a great tool to combat stress!

Best Puzzle Winner

Holiday Harmony Puzzle

MasterPieces®

Description

This MasterPieces 18″ x 24″ 300pc EZ Grip Holiday Collection features hip images of favorable styles, or influences trending today. Carolers come to sing in front of the town Christmas tree. The EZ-Grip die-cut used to make this puzzle offers larger puzzle pieces that snap together perfectly, without compromising image quality. To reduce its impact on our environment, the chipboard used in this puzzle is made of recycled material.

Autism Live Says:

We love MasterPeices® ecofriendly puzzles and this one is especially delectable.  Putting a puzzle on the table is an open invitation to relax, to talk, to collaborate.  This is the perfect holiday puzzle to wind down and show off your puzzle prowess!

Best Motor Play Award

Spotify® Premium Gift Card

Spotify®

Description

Millions of songs and thousands of podcasts. Play on-demand and offline, anywhere. All your music is ad-free, uninterrupted and in high quality audio.

Autism Live Says:

We are always looking for ways to reduce the stress of caregivers!  This year give the caregiver you love the gift of music so they can order up their favorite jam and dance it out!

Best Book Winner

Navigating Autism

By Dr. Temple Grandin and Dr. Debra Moore

Description

International best-selling writer and autist Temple Grandin joins psychologist Debra Moore in presenting nine strengths-based mindsets necessary to successfully work with young people on the autism spectrum. Examples and stories bring the approaches to life, and detailed suggestions and checklists help readers put them to practical use.

Autism Live Says:

This is another great book from Dr. Temple Grandin.  We love the empowering strategies the book imparts on how to be the best ally to a person on the Autism Spectrum.

 

Best Oldie but Goody Winner

Shutterfly® E Card

Shutterfly®

Description

Something for everyone. Shutterfly gift cards – the picture perfect gift. You pick the amount. They pick their gift. Available in five denominations from $10 to $100. Delivered quickly by email. Add a personal message. Always appreciated and never expires. Gift cards can be redeemed for products ordered through Shuttefly.com or the Shutterfly mobile app.

Autism Live Says:

Shutterfly makes it easy to preserve photographic memories in myriads of ways.  We especially love this gift for a perfect last-minute gift for someone you care about.  Order on line and there’s no shipping, no waiting, no wrapping!  The eCard is delivered in minutes with your personal message.

Therapist Recommendation Winner

Calm Premium Gift Card

Calm

Description

Give the Gift of Calm. Share the benefits of better sleep, relaxation, and mindfulness. Each gift card unlocks a year’s subscription to Calm Premium with unlimited access to their growing content library.

Autism Live Says:

We can’t get enough of the Matthew McConaughey sleep story!  Seriously, is there anyone who has stayed awake for the whole thing?  We love the gift of SLEEP, meditation and mindfulness…but mostly the sleep.  Thank you Matthew McConaughey.  Thank you Calm. Get this for people you care about that aren’t getting enough rest.  Bribe them to use it.

Parent Recommendation Winner

Apple® Gift Card

Apple®

Description

Redeem Apple Gift Cards to pay for Apple products, accessories, apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, iCloud, you name it.

Autism Live Says:

An apple gift card can be used to buy earbuds, music or Ted Lasso…you have to love that.  It’s a gift that everyone can use and use it to suit themselves.

Top Toy Winner

Amazon® Gift Card

Amazon®

Description

Amazon.com Gift Cards never expire and carry no fees. Choose between multiple gift card designs and denominations. Redeemable towards millions of items store-wide at Amazon.com or certain affiliated websites. Available for immediate delivery. Gift cards sent by email can be scheduled up to a year in advance.

Autism Live Says:

We love being able to schedule gift card delivery up to a year ahead or being able to send an eCard last minute! Plus, you know for sure there is something the recipient can order that will tickle their fancy.

 

Boredom Buster Award

Ukulele Beginner Kit

Donner®

Description

Complete Ukulele Starter Pack – Donner concert ukulele bundle pack comes with DUC-200B concert ukulele, padded gig bag, strap, digital tuner, 4 extra nylon strings, 4 picks.

Autism Live Says:

Tons of people learned to play the ukulele during the pandemic.  Why?  Because it’s fun and fast and easy to learn.  Playing music has also been shown to reduce stress!  This is a perfect starter kit for the music lover on your list.

Best Art/Craft Winner

Nutcracker Calendar

Works of Ahhh®

Description

The Nutcracker Calendar Wood Craft & Paint Kit is the perfect gift for every art loving caregiver! It includes all the elements to finish your craft beautifully and create a family holiday keepsake!

Autism Live Says:

This is the perfect craft for busy caregiver.  Everything needed is in the box, including a suggestion sheet for how to customize it.  A caregiver could do this craft by themselves, work on it with their child or work on it side-by-side!

Best STEM Toy Winner

Cordless Screwdriver

Black + Decker®

Description

A cordless screwdriver with a pivoting handle to get into all the places you need to and get the job done.

Autism Live Says:

Caregivers will be grateful for this super functional tool to help with repairs to everything from toys to doors!

Best Speech Builder Winner

Talking Hamster

Ayeboovi®

Description

This adorable talking hamster repeats what you say in its own critter voice. You will have so much fun interacting with this lovely talking hamster. When it is talking, it jumps up and down. It will not only talk but even mimic your speech no matter which language you speak:  French, Russian, German, Chinese, Spanish or plain old English.

Autism Live Says:

This may seem like a weird choice for a caregiver…but if you ask most caregivers what they really want this holiday season they would tell you they want their child to be safe, feel loved and if possible, to be able to talk.  Oddly enough, this hamster may be able to help with all three.  Caregivers can record messages for their kids for them to play back in times of stress.  They can teach their child to record messages too. Children will work overtime to get the hamster to talk. Get one quick before they are out of stock.

Best Social Skills Builder Winner

DoorDash® Gift Card

DoorDash®

Description

Give the gift of food delivery with a DoorDash gift card. The DoorDash app connects your favorite people with the foods they love from more than 310,000 local and national restaurants across 4,000 cities in the US & Canada. Gift food delivery for easier evenings, happier days, and more time to enjoy the people and things they love.

Autism Live Says:

The gift of not having to cook is the same as giving the gift of time, rest and connection.  When a tired caregiver doesn’t have to prepare food they can enjoy the time with their kids and maybe even catch their breath.

Employment Empowerment Award

Work From Home Self-Care Kit

Pinch Provisions

Description

Turn Work from Home into Work from Om with this NEW Work From Home-themed Self-Care Kit. This 5″ wide by 3.75″ deep tin includes a facial roller, facial roller how-to guide, microfiber cloth, scrunchie, acupressure ring, lip balm, emery board, do not disturb sign, ear plugs, conference call bingo, webcam cover, and a pants versus pajamas decision coin. Everything you need to stress less at home and be twice as productive!

Autism Live Says:

This inexpensive kit is a sure winner for those who need to get work done at home.  It’s both clever and practical!  We love the pants vs. pajamas decision ring, but we are using the facial roller!

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.