so what do you buy a kid with autism for christmas anyway?

Santa had me do some shopping and wrapping on his behalf.

Every year as Christmas nears, I get calls from friends and family wondering what to get Max.  I usually have a few easy items to suggest - things like books with music, a dvd I'm fairly sure he'll dig, and anything that lights up and makes noise.  My typical stance though, is that I will buy Max gifts on other people's behalf and just have them reimburse me.  Most folks don't mind this (I actually think they appreciate not having to go on a wild goose chase for my often hard to find items).

As you can see, between Santa, us, friends and family, Max did quite well for Christmas.  He got a few other things that he has yet to open (Fraggle Rock dvd, astronaut board, and a bigger keyboard).  The big hits yesterday were the GloDoodle (Cam and Max fought over it) and the Magformers (Scott and Max fought over it).

This past year I started working on a review site for items Max really likes - called, wait for it, MaxLikesIt.com.  It is still in the early stages of getting populated, but my hope is that it will be a resource for people looking for ideas on what the Autistic child in their life might enjoy.  I am also going to have other parents contribute, and provide a high level profile of their child (sensory needs, etc) to provide some insight into why the item is considered a winner.  If you have any ideas of toys I should review on the site, let me know in the comments.

By the way - Max did GREAT on Christmas!  The funniest thing he did was come downstairs in the morning, run up to the tree and stick his arms right into it to feel the texture.  After he opened his stocking (with help from us) he decided it was all too much and went back up to his room for a while.  I love his honesty (who doesn't feel a bit overwhelmed by the hubbub of the holidays?).  He came down a little later and took the rest of the day to open his gifts.

I hope your Christmas was terrific.  Ours was relaxed, slow paced and very peaceful.  A lovely day for sure.