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As children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) grow up to be young adults, it can be challenging to find age-respectful gifts that support their interests (and also help support independent living skills along the way).
Here at Accessible Adulthood, we fully support the right to enjoy any gifts or engage in any special interests your learner may have! However, many of the young adults we have worked with are interested in finding items that feel a bit more grown up. For those reasons, we put together a list of items that might spark some gift-giving ideas for the young adults with IDD in your life.
To Promote Exercise and Physical Activity:
Physical exercise promotes overall well-being, endurance, and coordination necessary for daily living skills. Also, for many of our learners with sensory processing challenges, completing tasks against resistance is good for their overall self-regulation and body awareness.
Please note, you should always consult a physician before beginning any exercise routine – and always make sure you and your learner are comfortable with any equipment you decide to try out!
These soft, weighted balls are a great way to encourage exercise a little more safely. If they are accidentally dropped, they don’t hurt quite as badly as metal weights!
Some young adults love to know how many steps they get! You can always go the smart watch or Fit Bit route, but we’ve had success in offering a simple pedometer. Pair this device with writing down the number of steps walked each day and try to beat the latest record!
Cornhole is a tried and true classic! This activity works on upper body strength and endurance to toss bean bags towards the target. This activity also promotes visual attention and activity engagement.
Another example of a game that is great for visual tracking and sustained attention.
These cards are a tested favorite among young adults! The picture cards are a great way to work on body awareness, coordination, strength, and encourage overall exercise.
There are SO many ways to use an exercise ball! Sit and bounce, play catch, complete exercises… Plus, having an exercise ball around is a great reminder to get moving!
To Promote Fine Motor Skills:
Develop fine motor skill and endurance for managing fasteners, opening food containers or bathroom products, as well as engagement in hobbies and leisure skills. Most activities of daily living involve fine motor skills, including handling a toothbrush, a hairbrush, flossing, etc.
Please note – none of these games have to be played the “right” way. They provide tools to engage and promote fine motor development no matter how you work with them!
It’s rare to find someone who doesn’t love therapy putty. This mixture isn’t too slimy, so most people can tolerate the feel. One favorite fine motor exercise is to hide some beads inside and allow your learner to find them.
Direction following! Fine motor skills! Sequencing! A craft project kit is a great way to motivate someone to participate from start to finish. Plus there are tons of possibilities out there!
A marble run can challenge your learner’s visual-spatial skills to build a course that the marble can run down. The pieces are typically resistive enough to work on hand strength, and the payoff of running the marble through your creation keeps people motivated!
Coloring really is for everyone at any age. However, some of the more complicated designs can be too frustrating for some people. What we like about these raised color by number sets is that there is more of a defined boundary that allows you to feel more successful as you stay in the lines.
Another visual challenge lumped into a fine motor skill! The disks allow for fine motor pinch and control to release into the grid. You can create your own patterns, hide the chips in that therapy putty, or play the old fashioned way.
The small blocks of Jenga help develop and strengthen the small muscles of the hand. Every part of this game – from building the tower to trying to remove each piece, works on controlled, graded movements.
This tablet has been a wonder to motivate people to write and draw! Create whatever designs you prefer, then at the click of a button, the tablet is clear again.
Another hugely popular item with young adults – maneuvering the small stickers to create a picture is challenging yet rewarding. Using a pair of tweezers can assist with peeling and placing the pieces.
Creating something special is often a rewarding task. These beading kits promote fine motor skills, while encouraging learners to make items for others.
Any card game is a great option for fine motor skills – dealing the cards, holding them, playing them one at a time. However, some people get frustrated when they can’t manage all of their cards at once. A playing card holder can be a great piece of adaptive equipment to support participation.
To Support Sensory Processing Skills:
Many young adults with IDD also experience sensory processing challenges. (Read more about that here: Sensory Processing in Adults) Providing the opportunity to engage in sensory-rich experiences helps support self-regulation, focus, and engagement in other not-so-fun adulting tasks.
Being in control of the sounds around you can be very freeing. A sound machine is a great way to block out unwanted noise and help people live together in a bit more harmony!
Many people with sensory processing challenges have difficulty managing their sleep/wake cycles. A sunrise alarm can be a gentle way of waking up and staying well regulated.
It is your learner’s preference if they prefer earbuds vs over-the-ear headphones. This link is to a pair of relatively cheap headphones that have proven to be fairly effective at blocking out noises. (Plus we like the wired headphones because it’s one less thing that needs to be charged.)
Kinetic sand is a very calming tactile medium on its own. However, this kit is a fun play on a “zen garden” that focuses on relaxation.
Smell can be a great sensory tool! Find the scent that’s most pleasing to your learner, and they can fidget with something that provides a calming experience.
Fidgets are everywhere these days! This particular fidget cube is easy to keep in a pocket and use discreetly.
Lighting Options
Lighting is also a powerful tool for feeling calm and regulated. Here are a few ideas below for creating a calm space:
Ok seriously, what sensory-related gift list would be complete without a weighted blanket? These are a common recommendation for a reason – they often work in providing a calming sensory experience.
To Support Visual Perception Skills:
Visual perceptual skills are a huge part of daily life. Developing these skills can also assist with tasks such as finding things in the refrigerator or a junk drawer, or even putting clothing away in the right place.
A general note about card games: As mentioned earlier, games to not have to be played exactly as they are designed to be played. Dealing cards, counting them out, passing them to people, and shuffling are all opportunities to promote the use of both hands, which assists with other two-handed life tasks, attention to task, as well as social interactions with others.
Puzzles of Various Piece Counts
Puzzles with less pieces are often designed with cartoon characters or very child-centered images. Having more designs has been helpful in promoting engagement (and success!) with puzzles.
(Here’s an example of a 16 piece puzzle that isn’t a children’s theme.)
This has been a popular game with all ages. Remembering where the pictures are hidden is a fun challenge and requires a lot of sustained attention.
If your learner is up for more of a challenge, check out this game. It requires a lot of spatial reasoning and looking for subtle differences in shapes and colors. Great for developing attention to detail!
It’s a classic for a reason. Play it the original way, or simply match colors or numbers.
This is a fun and popular perception game that’s used a lot in occupational therapy sessions. This is another fun way to challenge to spatial awareness and really pay attention to detail.
These books are great for supporting sustained visual attention, organized eye scanning, and focusing on the little details.
If you know someone who is hesitant to pick up a writing utensil, try drawing! Step by step books are a powerful tool to help someone feel successful as they draw.
A big book of puzzles is great to allow choices and different levels of challenge.
Hopefully this list has sparked a few ideas for someone you know. If you have a favorite gift idea, be sure to write it in the comments below so we can keep the ideas growing!
