Terrific Holiday Gifts for Kids With Special Needs

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Still need ideas for family, friends, teachers, coworkers, bloggers, zombie lovers, special needs kids, app addicts, photographers, style mavens, or foodies? We've got you covered and then some with our gift guides, chosen by BlogHer staff, contributing editors and members. We wouldn't steer you wrong.

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Our family's holiday traditions include: nightly panic over conjuring surprises for the 24 tiny drawers in my kids' advent box, sending holiday postcards weeks after Christmas to a random one-third of the folks we love -- and answering queries from family and friends about holiday gifts for Leo, our ten-year-old son with autism.

I am quietly freaking out over those first two, but thoughtful questions about appropriate gifts for Leo -- I appreciate those, so much. While finding presents that appeal to my son can be tricky, I've become a pro at it and make suggestions with confidence. Here's my advice for parents, grandparents, aunties, caregivers, godparents or friends looking for a great gift for kids with special needs.

• Don't get derailed by age ranges on toy labels, because they don't always apply. One of Leo's all-time favorite toys is a Flip Flop Egg Drop sorting tower that also instantly distracts all visiting adults -- yet the box says it's for 18-month-olds.
• Try to focus on the child's interests, on what they actually like to do -- this is where interrogating the kid's parents comes in. Leo's auntie know he enjoys winding things up, so she gifted him an emergency flashlight with a crank handle, and he's in heaven. My boy also adores music, but he's better at humming than singing -- so I got him a bag of plastic kazoos. Now he always has a kazoo on hand, and I don't have to worry if one gets broken or lost. He likes to color, but get gets frustrated because his fine-motor skills make staying in the lines difficult -- so we got him dot stamp painters, and the walls of his room now festooned with colorful creations that  make him proud.

With these guidelines in mind, here are some specific gift suggestions:

iPads

The "It" gift of this holiday season is of course, the iPad. (Leo is a huge fan.) The big touch screen and wide variety of dedicated apps can make communication, play, and learning so much more easy and independent for kids with special needs. But they're not cheap -- the entry-level model is $499. If, like most of us, you can't cover that cost yourself, consider enlisting family and friends in an iPad fundraiser through ChipIn.com or GiveForward.com.

What if your favorite quirky kid already has an iPad? Consider gifting them iTunes gift cards, or specific apps that work well for kids with special needs. (Friends of kids with autism: Did you know there's a Thomas the Tank Engine app? Leo is obsessed.) Another fun option is a custom iPad skin. If the iPad is not something the child's family can replace easily, consider getting them an Otterbox protective case, or even iPad Insurance. The family will thank you.

Special Needs Toys and Gear

BeyondPlay.com and eSpecialNeeds.com are dedicated to toys and gear for kids with special needs. I want to get my visually-oriented Leo everything in Beyond Play's Sorting and Stacking section, and eSpecialNeeds's arts and crafts page. And Leo's wavy circular balance beam from Beyond Play, a birthday present from two years ago, is still in daily use. These two companies know what makes our kids happy.

Unfortunately, special needs-specific gear can be expensive, e.g., Leo's path cost $200 and was a gift from a generous relative. But you can find equivalents to special needs and therapeutic toys in unexpected places. One of Leo's occupational therapists rarely pays full price for her balance, strength-building, and sensory gear, because she can usually find what she needs in the pilates and yoga sections at overstock outlets like TJ Maxx and Ross. And the best therapy balance ball I've ever found Leo was a $29 Sta-Ball from Target rather than the same-size $79 version from a specialty company.

You can also make toys and gear. Leo is a fan of sensory bins, which are containers filled with dried rice, beans, or other materials that Leo can plunge his hands into, spend