Attention TS parents: What gifts have you bought for your TS children this holiday season? We would like to know? E-mail us at parents@njcts.org or, if you are signed up to post, just leave us an entry about your special holiday gift!
I finally bought my son a bean bag chair. He was constantly flopping onto the couch, jumping up, then flopping back down, etc. I know he can’t help it (or some of it) and occasionally, I must admit, I ask him to stop. Sometimes you just don’t know what he can’t control and what he can.
We celebrated with part of our family, and he loves his oversize chair. He can flop all he wants now — well, to an extent. He has not flopped on the couch in days. Let’s hope the bean bag chair holds up well.
My kids are older. O is getting the usual: A huge stack of books, plus a box set of Mahler’s symphonies, because he really, really likes Mahler. Unlike many teen boys, O gets excited about receiving a pile of new books. :-)
I don’t think I ever gave O TS-specific gifts. Well, I did get him some t-shirts: he got a lot of wear out of the “I am not obsessive I am not obsessive I am not obsessive” (I saw him in it again yesterday, and it’s really a bit small for him now); last year, we got him the AD/HD shirt modeled after the AC/DC logo, and he wears that a lot now. But that’s it, really.
As for activities or exercises that help O, swimming is and always has been the best thing for him. It settles his mind and his body.
You mention your son loves books, which is great. My son is not a fan of reading books. However, he was super excited when grandpa gave him a World Atlas for his Dec. birthday. He is very into highways, exit numbers, etc. Whatever works for the individual child. :)
We have a lot of this with our 3rd child. I think of it more as sensory integration related and for us, ADHD related, which is so common among our TSers yet tends to manifest differently in each of our kids. For number 3 it is running full speed from across the room and throwing himself down on the couch repeatedly, often face-first. And he wears glasses!
If you have a child like this I second the bean bag rec (we like Love Sac bags because they hold their form better) but if s/he’s a runner, don’t be surprised if he prefers the firmness/height of the couch. Also, a quality trampoline. And if you have a face-planter with glasses, Miraflex frames! They are THE best for highly active kids!
Yes, apparently sensory issues as well as ADHD for my son. I did not buy the Love Sac bag due to the price :( Unfortunately I had to choose one of lesser value elsewhere. It’s pretty sturdy so far.