The Ultimate Neurodivergent Gift Guide: If you Can’t Find it Here I Can’t Help You!

Sensory and Comfort Gifts:

gift receipt but a weighted blanket is a great choice. The weight generally stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (your anti-fight or flight) and calms the body. They can be very helpful during times of high stress or to help with sleep. Amazon, Target, and Wal-Mart all carry them, or if you’re positive your ND will want one you can get a custom one from https://sensacalm.com

Weighted Sweatshirt: Similar to the blanket they now make weighted sweatshirts! www.therabrand.co, www.comfrt.com

Sleeppod: Similar calming benefits to the weighted blanket for those who may prefer pressure, the sleeppod hugs you at night to calm your body and help you sleep. They also have a wrap version for during the day. www.hugsleep.com

Heated blanket: We are sensory beings- some of us like to sleep cold but lots of us like it warm. A heated blanket is a nice touch and they come in varying sizes. Do us all a favor and for safety reasons get one with a time shutoff. We all know we’re forgetful!

Warmie: Microwavable plush toys that offer warmth and comfort. I LOVE these things for so many reasons. They’re great for helping you sleep or just for calming during a hard moment. Bonus- they make microwaveable slippers. www.warmies.com

Moon Pal: These are weighted stuffies that feel like a weighted hug. www.moonpals.com, They’re a little pricey at 150.00 so Target also has a line of weighted anxiety relief stuffies that may be a more budget friendly option.

Plushie Dreadfuls: These are a line of mental health themed stuffies. There is an ADHD bat and Bunny, Autism Bunny, PTSD and more. www.plushiedreadfuls.com

Purrble: “The Purrble companion is a cuddly, interactive tool that helps you find calm in moments of stress, overwhelm, and other big emotions. Your companion’s heart races to show emotion. Hold and pet your companion to slow their heartbeat into a gentle purr. You’ll be surprised to find you’ve calmed yourself in the process.” Purrble is a companion that teaches you to self soothe. www.purrble.com

Wobble seats: These come in several forms like the OG Wobble seat — https://a.co/d/aIP7TMl , exercise ball seat- https://a.co/d/aIP7TMl , or for a more discreet movement use a balance disc- https://a.co/d/8ap5nWH.

Peapod: This is similar to the huggy sensory swing but remains stationary. https://a.co/d/7GDvjEL

Nightlights: We always need light on the way to the bathroom or when we wake up! Gummy Bear is pretty cool- https://a.co/d/5Vrmww7 , Duck is adorable- https://a.co/d/fptzCN4 , or you can always go for motion detection with several options on Amazon.

Under desk cycle: One of several options for movement of your feet when needing to be stationary. https://a.co/d/1iGmteb

Foot swing: Another option for gentle swinging of the feet when needing to subtly move. https://a.co/d/bnvNrbS

wiggle feet: This one is particulary good for those who tend to rock their feet when seated. https://a.co/d/2asTJ0x

Standing treadmill: These are awesome for getting in exercise or moving when working! Paif with a standing desk or just while you watch tv or talk! In the winter months we STILL need exercise- it helps us with our Neurotransmitters and helps with sleep. There are multiple kinds available, they even make some that fold up for storage! For those, try searching “walking pad.”

Balance Board: ADHD brains have been shown to have a smaller Cerebellum, which has a lot to do with understanding where the body is in space, as well as balance and coordination. Working on a balance board has been shown to help grow new neural connections and help decrease these symptoms. Bonus: you can do it watching TV or talking to friends and some are even gameified! It’s a great form of exercise and a great way to get that Dopamine. Here’s a basic wobble board: https://a.co/d/2p4DVfj ,Here’s a more complex one you can have a little more fun with: https://a.co/d/4wpSzaD, And here’s a couple of gamified examples: https://a.co/d/8pJvMTR, https://www.trystealth.com.

Sensory Glasses: For those who are light sensitive, there are glasses of different colors that balance out things like those impossibly white lightbulbs, or flourescents. You’ll have to experiment to see what works best for you but I find that these really help with strain and headaches due to light sensitivity. https://a.co/d/fbWDIVh

On the glasses note, if they wear prescription glasses you might look at a gift certificate for Pair eyewear. They make magnetic frames so we can constantly change our minds as we do! www.paireyewear.com

Loop Earbuds: I don’t know what kind of Voodoo this is but it magically turns down the volume on the world. Some people have complained that they can hear themselves breathing or head sounds- if that’s the case you need smaller earbuds. www.loopearplugs,com

Noise Cancelling Headphones: I don’t happen to prefer the over the head headphones but some people do. If your person isn’t into these, there are earbuds with pretty good noise cancelling. If you’re feeling generous you can go for Bose but even the basic brands have gotten pretty good.

Ultra Tough Phone Case: If I could show you my phone the entire back is shattered under the case. It looks like a Mosaic! Because we’re clumsy and not really aware of where our bodies are in space, we’re known to drop things. Pelican and Otterbox are two brands I really like (when I have them on my tech!) In my Otterbox I’ve dropped my phone off a balcony and it’s been fine.

Popsocket or Phone Ring: This is a relatively easy fix it seems but I got a phone ring and suddenly I’m not dropping my phone as much. I just thread my finger through it and it creates extra grip. Popsockets are pretty popular but for me I prefer having the actual ring. Either way, it’ll definitely help your clumsy ND friends! Bonus- it helps you take better pictures! www.popsockets.com , https://a.co/d/1LHvzPX