Re: Christmas gift ideas for my Aspie son~

December 2, 2010

I hear you on this. Aiden can be VERY difficult to buy for, on Christmas. He only gave me two wants this Christmas (a certain out of print Nintendo DS game I had to get used on Ebay, and figure set)

One thing he doesn't ususally think to ask for, but LOVES is the science-y type kits they sell at s Arts and Crafts / Toys R Us. My mom bought him Creepy Crawlers and a refill kit. (You make your own rubbery spiders and fill them with goo, then squash them). He had an alien one two years ago and spent hours making them, so I thought it was a good pick.

One of the other really cool things he likes is Snap Circuits (Can't recall who makes it off the top of my head). It's an electronics kit, but easy easy, connects with snaps (like clothing snaps) and you can make a fan move, a radio, lights, sounds. He likes to experiment with it.

Just a thought.

From: Raina <my6lilguys@...>Subject: ( ) Christmas gift ideas for my Aspie son~ Date: Thursday, December 2, 2010, 12:11 AM

wow I never thought buying Ashton christmas gifts would be so hard, he loves trucks and trucks and well TRUCKS...However his new passion or rather obsession is the computer he is 7 and can seriously spend hours upon hours on it which at first was a blessing as it was a great reward for him as well as a fabulous distraction while dealing with my other 5 boys...HOWEVER he is not learning anything as well as now he has become totally aggressive toward it and wants to literally be on it all the time, and after an hour of being on it I ask for it and he has a major meltdown...He will wander through the house obsessing over the computer and when I tell him to play trucks he says, "I dont want to" or ther is nothing to do with my trucks he has totally turned his attention strictly to the computer.My youngest son had a Vsmile and played it nonstop, however I could never get ashton into anything like this as I tried so hard because of the education

value. We had 3 ds handhelds and he broke every one of them (his brothers) because he gets super frustrated with the games and ends up breaking the hinges so we have to limit things that are fragile and easily broken....So to all of the parents of aspies out there any good ideas for christmas gifts aside from him staring at the computer all day?? something educational yet fun???Thank you

December 2, 2010

Too funny....my 9 year old son loves all those things too

>

> From: Raina <my6lilguys@...>

> Subject: ( ) Christmas gift ideas for my Aspie son~

>

> Date: Thursday, December 2, 2010, 12:11 AM

>

> Â

>

> wow I never thought buying Ashton christmas gifts would be so hard, he loves

trucks and trucks and well TRUCKS...However his new passion or rather obsession

is the computer he is 7 and can seriously spend hours upon hours on it which at

first was a blessing as it was a great reward for him as well as a fabulous

distraction while dealing with my other 5 boys...HOWEVER he is not learning

anything as well as now he has become totally aggressive toward it and wants to

literally be on it all the time, and after an hour of being on it I ask for it

and he has a major meltdown...He will wander through the house obsessing over

the computer and when I tell him to play trucks he says, " I dont want to " or

ther is nothing to do with my trucks he has totally turned his attention

strictly to the computer.

>

> My youngest son had a Vsmile and played it nonstop, however I could never get

ashton into anything like this as I tried so hard because of the education

value. We had 3 ds handhelds and he broke every one of them (his brothers)

because he gets super frustrated with the games and ends up breaking the hinges

so we have to limit things that are fragile and easily broken....So to all of

the parents of aspies out there any good ideas for christmas gifts aside from

him staring at the computer all day?? something educational yet fun???

> Thank you

>

December 2, 2010

We use the computer as a reward for cooperation. Don't

let him use it unearned. Same on the weekend have him

earn it after he has gone out and done something from 10-2pm at

least. I would not have him take breaks too.

Earns some computer time for going to school.

Break

Homework (eventually or a small chore, like put this book away).

Dinner

A small reward (TV or computer) for good hygiene.

For Christmas toys, get a bike he can ride and make

a point in the summer to ride it. Get winter clothes,

snowsuit and a sled (if you get snow) and make a

point to play in it. Get a big ball to stretch and

lean on if ups small toys you have a basement or

a small trampoline to jump on or a inflatable house

with balls that he can jump around in (these are things they

use in OT), you can get tubes to crawl through.

Find things you like to play with him and play 30 minutes a day as

floortime (see Dr. Greenspan website). Kids like

candy land, shots and ladders, and the cherry-o game.

Have a family night (no computer) once a week.

Play make believe with small puppets so play out social

situations. Get him a doctor or vet kit and teach him simple

first aid with band-aides and pretend you get hurt, play

what would you do.

Get playdoh, get water colors, get crayons get an art table.

Or if you want him to have an interest in music

start out with some play toys, like a drum and

get him a CD to play along with it. Sing songs with

him.

There is so much variety. He is way too young to get locked into We

and computers.

When he is a teen 12, 13 ..he will be to old to play doctor,

pirate, etc. He will be too old to do finger paints.

Use this present moment to broaden his interests.

On the weekend I have always taken my daughter out for

a small outting to broaden her interests in very

slow gradual ways. We belong to the YMCA and go to family

night, or for a swim, we go to the library, bookstores,

we go to musuems, zoos. Of course as soon as we are

home she is back to her special interests. But she has

been making slow steady progress.

I hope this helps,

Pam