Gift Ideas for Autistic People

What do autistic people like?

It can be hard to think of gift ideas for autistic people. We can seem picky, ungrateful or rude when it comes to gift receiving. I hope this guide is helpful in explaining a bit more about what we like (and what we don’t) while of course accepting that every autistic person is different!

Think of these gift ideas for adults with autism as inspiration rather than a declaration from the Grand High Autist that "all autistic people like these things".

If you want to buy the items, some of the links below (but not all) are affiliate links which means that I get a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps support my channel and helps me make more content.

Sequin Pillowcase

Liquid Oozy Timers:

Rainbow Spinner:

Fidget Cube:

TaoTronics Noise Cancelling Headphones:

Vibes Earplugs:

Food Dividers:

Sensory Deprivation Float in London:

Sustainable Socks:

Neck, back and shoulder massager robot:

Chewigem Weighted Blanket:

Amazon gift card in a Christmas box:

Amazon gift card in a Santa box:

Clever Fox planner:

NeuroTribes:

The Electricity of Every Living Thing:

Kindle Unlimited:

SkillShare (2 free months with this link):

Glitter paint pens:

[YoSamdySam]

Disclaimer because I'm already dreading the comments:

1. No, not ALL autistic people, but some (many?) will like these suggestions
2. Hyper-consumerism is bad, but gift giving is part of our cultural tradition and not going anywhere anytime soon. Thoughtful gifts are much better than unwanted gifts.
3. You don't have to spend any money, these are just fun ideas
4. Affiliate links do help support my channel so I can make content, so making videos like these are necessary for me. If you don't like them you don't have to watch them 🙃

[uzi_does_it_]

Smart lights are a huge quality of life upgrade. The ability to easily turn the lights down and relax is a game changer.

[paulacebriandelatorre]

"Some people have autism as their special interest!"
Me: *watching your whole playlist on autism in 2 days as well as reading info about it for hours*
Me: ...it can't possibly be me

[SweetStrawberryShell]

14:00 "Text. Don't call"

YES!! I literally laughed out loud at that 🤣👏🏻👏🏻

[ithacacomments]

Give my Aspie husband a gift card and he will hoard it for years..."just like money in the bank" he says.
Give my Aspie self a gift and I am off to the store within minutes of receiving it !!!!

[suneuf]

As a kid/teen I HATED Christmas gift giving. I honestly never understood why until I was diagnosed with ASD. As it turned out, I HATED people watching for my reactions. I was always so worried I would give the wrong reaction and it caused a lot of anxiety.

[noor-]

To all the people who still have the idea to buy a random gift for an autistic person anyway:
U probably have the nicest intentions and great ideas, but just trust the video, it's really a thing😄 Last Christmas my mom gave me two random gifts. (She knows by now but you know...she couldn't stop herself😉). The moment I opened the presents I felt so awkward. I was totally not able to fake exitement and the atmosphere felt weird. Then I felt SO bad and guilty for not being happy and for the money she waisted. That moment and feeling haunted me the whole evening😔 Till next days and I couldn't stop thinking about it. After few days of feeling bad, I decided to give her back the presents so she could give them to someone else or return them to she shop and get her money back. I prefere 100% to not get a gift instead of having to deal with that situation and emotions! Hope this example helped someone xxx

[call_me_mad]

Not an aspie but loaded with anxiety, honestly id cry if i received any of these. So nice.

[Feline]

We have so many things in common! My special interests: Making cosmetics, autism, psychology, witchcraft
I study psychology and i tried to be social in university, too :-o

[StephanieBethany]

LOL I kinda want someone to tell me that they got me a gift cause I'm autistic and some random lady on the internet said I'd like it now 😂

[AshleyRose]

I find that I’m an sensory seeker when it comes to food I love trying new foods and combos it gives me some sort of stimulation. But an avoider with most other senses

[JM.TheComposer]

OH. MY. GOD. I had no idea that silicone food dividers are a thing! It would have saved my mother from so much dishwashing, as the kid version of me demanded each part of dinner on a different bowl or saucer, so they wouldn't touch! Brilliant!

[softgirlszn]

11:05 when i got my weighted blanket i actually told people that it was like my dogs laying on me just the weight being evenly dispersed!

[sunfish]

You understand me so much I finally feel like I found a person that understands me. Thank you I honestly can't thank you enough

[pennylane]

I started using a weighted blanket a little over a year ago to help with anxiety and now I can't sleep without it! I also frequently have restless legs at night and it's helps a lot with that as well!

[tobeytransport]

I love Christmas and so does my friend but we usually wait until everyone is distracted to open our presents

[martianpudding]

For several years now I've had an ongoing online wishlist that I give to people. I try to vary the types of wishes between specific items and more generic categories (for example, a link to a specific hobby kit, or something like "chocolates", or "lush bathbombs") and different price ranges, so whoever is giving me a gift can decide how much money and effort they want to put into it. I find people usually appreciate it and it has drastically improved how much I like the gifts I get.

[annalevermore]

Everyone on the spectrum is different. I have aspergers and can't stand fidget spinners or headphones. Mum has given up buying me things and asks me to choose my own gifts and pays me back. I only like cotton things and no tags,

[carolinemanley]

I just stumbled on your channel recently and I am so glad I did! I just got diagnosed a few days ago and I’m so glad there are people out there like you representing the ASD community on YouTube. ❤️

[leov]

We've recently adopted a cat and I really love it when he lies on top of me when I take a nap.