Every year about this time, people start asking us what to get the boys. Our holidays are all jumbled together - Connor's birthday in November, Christmas and then the twins' birthday in January.
Connor is pretty easy. He likes everything. He's partial to Hot Wheels, Nerf guns and Legos at the moment, but he truly likes just about anything.
Sawyer and Xander are anything but easy. They don't play. Not in the traditional sense. Give them a screen, and they will play for hours. Give them some toys, and they will just look at you like you're crazy.
Over the years, we've found a few things to interest them. Wooden puzzles work, for a while. Hot Wheels cars on tracks work, for a while. Books work, for a while.
Are you seeing the pattern? They will play with a few things, here and there, but only for short periods of time. And after a while, they lose complete interest. It might come back in a week or a month, or it might not. You just never know.
We've discovered a few things that keep them coming back. Most of them are therapy items - things used to work with kids with autism in either occupational or other type therapies. This year, there were three such gifts.
The first was a body sock. You put it over your head and let its resistance work its magic. Sawyer enjoys this more than Xander, but all three boys will actually put it on and enjoy it for a while.
Next was the new stretchy swing. The one in Sawyer's room was cotton and had lost most of it's elasticity and bounce after a year of abuse. The new one is higher-quality nylon material, recommended by the OTs at the boys' therapy group. It's gotten a lot of use since Christmas night.
And last is the tunnel. Similar to the body sock, but with an opening and handles on each end. It stretches almost the entire length of the sun room (some twenty odd feet) and the boys climb through it. Sawyer actually likes to lay in the very center of it, and his brothers like to crawl over and under him from end to end.
Welcome to an autism house. We have lots of toys that no one really plays with (except maybe Connor, and usually only if a friend is over to visit). And we have a variety of stretchy, sensory toys that two little boys cannot live without.
