12/22/2025
What gifts are you getting your autistic kids? Do you find it hard to be “fair” with gifts if you have more than one child?
Wesley has a younger sister who has level 1 autism. Their needs are very different. It’s often hard to find a good balance between their unique needs, especially with Christmas and gifts. We try to keep things simple so Wesley doesn’t get too overwhelmed, but we don’t want his sister to miss out on any experiences either.
Until recently, Wesley had no interest in opening gifts. He didn’t understand the concept. Now he knows that gift bags often contain candy or ribbons so he will look inside any gift bag he sees.
He’s never really been interested in toys, games, or video games. He has no interest in the things most 13 year olds enjoy. The only things he‘s interested in are ribbons, candy, his trampoline, his swing, and his wobble stool.
It’s hard to be “fair” when one child has limited interests and the other child has a wide range of interests.
In my opinion, fair doesn’t always mean equal. It means making sure both their needs are met. I try not to compare how much I spend on each of them or how many presents they each receive. Instead I focus on insuring they both get spoiled with things they enjoy and they’ll both feel happy and loved on Christmas morning.
-Wesley’s Mama
