BS: Advice needed for Christmas present

Subject: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: ranger1
Date: 08 Dec 05 - 02:33 PM

I'm in a bit of a quandry. Christmas is fast approaching and I have no idea what to get for my developmentally disabled 18 year old niece. Mental age is about 4, by the way. She's mainstreamed in school and has some idea of what's cool, so I hesitate to get clothing, as I am terminally uncool when it comes to fashion. Has anyone else had this problem? Any good ideas would be appreciated.

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: Sorcha
Date: 08 Dec 05 - 02:46 PM

Ask her mother?

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 08 Dec 05 - 02:51 PM

Everybody likes to get Lego!

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: Pseudolus
Date: 08 Dec 05 - 02:52 PM

I have a niece who has Cerebral Palsy. She's 22. For the last several years we have given her a photo album complete with pictures of the entire family. The first year, we had given her a sweatshirt and some other things but she LOVED the photo album! Now, we just use more pictures and take the time to really organize. It's a lot of fun for us and it's usually her favorite gift!

Good Luck,
Frank

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: Rasener
Date: 08 Dec 05 - 02:56 PM

What is she able to do?

Can she work a computer?
Can she use a game machine such as Playstation, Xbox etc?
Does she like painting/drawing etc.

MP3 music players are the sort of rage at the moment.
Tesco have a nice Digital camera for £40 - might get that for my special needs daughter. I will then teach her how to use it and transfer the pictures to the computer and print the good ones.

If you don't want to put too much personal details public, send me a private message (pm) and I will see what I can suggest.

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: wysiwyg
Date: 08 Dec 05 - 02:58 PM

What does she WANT? You don't need to make it "appropriate," you need to give her joy.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Dec 05 - 02:59 PM

Look for eduactional toys specifically aimed at 4-6 yrs old. She will be able to understand them and they will leave some scope for her to be stretched too.

Jigsaw puzzles are good as the outcome will be the same but she will get quicker on the completion and feel a sense of achievement. There are some very chunky wooden types that suit that age group, possibly incorporating the alphabet or numbers in sequence.

Is she starting to read? Books to read, books to colour, books with pages of stickers to fill in the pictures.

Beads for threading on elastic and making necklaces/bracelets. Excellent for co ordination and a pretty end result.

Fuzzy felt story boards, where she can use her imagination to create different scenes.

A blackboard and chalks. She can experiment and rub out and start again. She will feel like a teacher!

Packets of seeds to plant and grow, something that won't fail. I don't know where you are but kids love sunflowers, they are bound to take and the end results are impressive and of course she learns by tending and watering them too.

Maybe something that she thinks of as 'grown up' for her room? A glittery disco ball to hang from the ceiling or funky bedding with her fave charcaters on. A personalised cushion maybe or even a groovy clock to learn the time, they do some fab ones aimed at the younger market with swinging pendulum legs etc.

Hard plastic stencils of flowers etc, she can get instant results and practise hand eye co ordination too. Her creations will please her and she can use them for making cards for family and friends.

I'm sure others will have lots more ideas. And I am sure she will love whatever you choose.

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: GLoux
Date: 08 Dec 05 - 03:17 PM

Assuming that you're in reasonable proximity, why not take your neice shopping? Let her pick out what she likes. One of my favorite childhood memories is being taken shopping with my Aunt when I was four or five.

-Greg

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 08 Dec 05 - 03:22 PM

Go to the nearest Salvation Army HQ adopt a family, buy them presents and a Christmas dinner. (Do it annonymously) and when you sit down to your Christmas dinner it will be the greatest gift you ever gave or received.

Yours, Aye. Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: LilyFestre
Date: 08 Dec 05 - 09:03 PM

One thing that most all kids respond to is MUSIC!!!! Ask her parents what kinds of music she likes or better yet, ask her or give her a gift certificate and she can pick out her heart's desire! If you have access to iTunes, you can hand select the songs and make a CD of all her favorites. See if she has a CD player...if not, they make them for all ages....ask her parents or teachers what she would be able to comfortably handle...or a walkman....but MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!!

:) It's universal!

Michelle

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 09 Dec 05 - 10:02 PM

You ask for advice about this on a music forum?

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 10 Dec 05 - 06:09 AM

Those battery operated computers for under 5's might be the solution.
They come with a number of insertable cards with questions on them which appear on the screen and the child has to press the appropriate button on the comp...If wrong button then they are corrected. Eventually through habit they actually learn something.
Best wishes, Mike.

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: Ebbie
Date: 10 Dec 05 - 03:41 PM

Robin, she is asking the quesion on a caring community forum.

Some great suggestions in here. I especially like Guest 2:59P's wide ranging ideas.

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: ranger1
Date: 10 Dec 05 - 07:22 PM

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions, everyone. My problem was in over-thinking it this year. I ended up going to one of our local toyshops and just browsing. I found a really cool game that we can play together and hopefully my brother, sister-in-law and her siblings will play it with her after I've gone home.

Subject: RE: BS: Advice needed for Christmas present
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Dec 05 - 07:28 PM

My Christmas present this year will be delivering presents and hampers for families who have found themselves in difficulties. After that I will go to a bar and have a few shots then go home. Over the years I have come to hate the commercialization of Christmas and what it does to poor people. And lonely people.