In this article, we have reviewed the best gifts for special needs adults. If you are in a hurry, the table below gives a quick snapshot of the top ones.
Contents
Are you looking for a thoughtful gift for a special needs friend or loved one?
Choosing the right gift for people you care about can be confusing, especially if you’re looking for a gift for an adult with special needs.
About 61 million people in America live with some sort of disability.[1]
For finding the right gift, you have to identify with their problems and try to find a solution for them.
There is a vast range of disabilities, which we could not hope to cover in a single article. Instead, we have divided them into two broad categories: physical and mental special needs.
For the physically disabled, what is most important is a gift that wards of loneliness, or a feeling of being excluded. We have tried to add products that will entertain and keep this set of individuals engaged.
For those with problems related to the mind (such as dementia), there are several puzzles, busy boards, books and games that help improve mental acuity and at the same time, help to while away the time.
We have accordingly divided the article into two sections as well. Let’s go through the best gifts for special needs adults below.
Our Top Choice – Amazon Fire TV Stick
The Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device with Alexa Voice Remote (includes TV controls) | Dolby Vision is our top choice for Best Gift For Special Need Adults, because of the following reasons:
- It has a voice-controlled Alexa remote control.
- Great collection of streaming platforms.
- High-definition display capability.
- Simple controls and setup.
- Security features available.
Best Gifts for Special Needs Adults: Physical Disability
#1 Amazon Fire TV Stick
The Amazon Fire tv stick is one of the best gifts for adults with special needs as this fire stick is a versatile streaming device. You can switch the channels or streaming platforms with the voice and speech recognition feature present on the remote control that comes with this fire tv stuck.
Features and Benefits
- Exceptional Library: The fire tv stick has an exceptional library or collection of the best streaming services available. Some of these platforms are Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV, Hulu, Disney+, etc.
- High–Definition: This streaming tv stick is capable of streaming videos in ultra-high-definition display quality. If your tv supports a 4k display, you can also view your favorite movies and tv shows in 4k.
- Easy To Use: People with special needs can easily use this fire tv stick as there is no extravagant installation process, and it has simple controlling options.
- Additional Features: You can also watch the live feed of news channels, sports programs, or camera feed with the help of this streaming device. You can monitor the CCTV footage from your home or office to keep a check on the security.
Why should you buy it?
You should buy this fire tv stick as it has a unique feature of speech and voice recognition. People with mobility issues can use this feature to switch between channels and streaming platforms. You will not need to press the button on the remote control to change the settings.
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#2 Amazon Echo
The Amazon Echo is a multifunctional and handy device. You will be able to make hands-free video calls to any other Alexa device or Echo device. Adults with special needs can connect with their friends and families instantly using this video calling feature. They can also make announcements inside their hooks to other devices compatible with the Amazon Echo.
Features and Benefits
- Entertaining: You can pair the Amazon Echo with the Fire tv stick, you can watch all the content from the tv stick on your echo device. This device has a 5.5 inches wide display screen that will enable you to stream videos or movies in high-definition.
- Secure: This Amazon device is completely secure as it only transmits your data once it identifies your speech with the word ‘Alexa.’ You can even turn off the microphone and camera on this device to maintain your privacy. You also get a shutter to cover up the camera.
- Also Ideal for Kids: You can also change your Amazon Echo to be suitable and ideal for kids. It has a special feature that works just like parental control, and this feature would set the age limit on the content. Your kids would only be able to view appropriate content according to their age.
- Easy To Use: This multifunction device is easy to operate and control. You can even control this device with your voice and speech. The built-in speaker in the mic on this device would recognize your voice and respond to your commands.
Why should you buy it?
You should buy this Amazon Echo device as it also has an ambient sunrise lighting feature. If you have difficulties sleeping or waking up due to lack or presence of sunlight, you will find this feature very helpful.
#3 Mibao Music Player
The Mibao music player is among the best gifts for adults with special needs as this music player has a high-quality battery. You get a superior 600 mAH lithium battery, and this battery can support or run this MP3 player for a long time. You can listen to your favorite music for about 50 hours at medium volume.
No products found.Features and Benefits
- Large Display: This music player has a large 2.5 display. You can view your song playlists and choose them by viewing these songs on this screen. The screen has double-sided acrylic glass for greater longevity and durability.
- Great Memory: This MP3 device has an inbuilt storage of 32 gigabytes, a huge amount of space for storing songs. You can even prove the storing capacity of this device to 64 gigabytes by adding a memory chip.
- Wireless Connectivity: One amazing feature of this music player is that you can connect this player to other devices wirelessly. This player has Bluetooth transmission and connectivity.
- Compact And Lightweight: This music player is pretty compact and lightweight. The weight of this player is just about 3 ounces. It also has a compact design that easily fits inside your wallets and bags, allowing you to listen to songs anytime and anywhere.
Why should you buy it?
You should buy this music player if you like to listen to music. This MP3 player is compact and handy, due to this feature you can carry this music player with you wherever you want. It has a long battery life that makes it more reliable. If you want more option for music player, read more here.
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Best Gifts for Special Needs Adults: Physical Disability
#4 Melissa And Doug Wooden Puzzle
The Melissa and Doug wooden Puzzle is a great gifting piece, and you can gift this Puzzle to children, adults with special needs, and so on. This Puzzle is made from high-quality, durable wood that is handcrafted.
Features and Benefits
- Compact: The dimensions of this wooden Puzzle, when completed, is about 16 x 12 x 1 inch, which is not very large nor too small. Although this Puzzle uses wooden pieces, it is not too heavy as well. The overall weight of this wooden Puzzle is around 2 pounds.
- Ergonomic: To prevent any piece from getting lost or misplaced, this puzzle set also comes with a wooden box. You can use it to store the 48 wooden pieces of this Puzzle in this wooden box. This feature is also helpful for storing the Puzzle when not in use.
- Beautiful: You will also get a reward for completing this Puzzle. The reward will be a beautiful picture of the scenery. This picture or the painting on this wooden Puzzle is hand-painted with bright and vibrant colors.
- Improves Skills: Solving this wooden Puzzle would increase the brain activity of the user. This would also result in a better understanding of the situation. The problem-solving skills of the user would also improve considerably once they work on this Puzzle.
Why should you buy it?
You should buy this excellent wooden Puzzle for the elderly and adults that require special needs and care. Solving and working on this wooden Puzzle will improve the hand-eye coordination of the person. It is also a great way of teaching the person about different shapes and sizes.
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#5 Easy Coloring Book For Adults
The Easy coloring book is a brilliant book specially designed for beginners, the elderly, and adults with special needs. This book contains less intricate and simple drawings that are good fun to color on.
Features and Benefits
- Ergonomic: You get a decent number of coloring pages in this book. There are 90 different pages in the book filled with cute and simple drawings for you to color. The main language of this coloring book is English.
- Great Design: This coloring book has sketches or drawings printed on a single side of the paper sheet. This allows the users to easily tear-off the pages for storage, and you can frame your coloring if you want by removing these pages from the coloring book.
- No Bleeding: You will not experience any ink bleeding type even if you use dark or water-based colors. The pages of this coloring book are specially made to be thick. There will be no ink leak from these pages.
- Functional: The size of this coloring book is 8.5 x 0.21 x 11 inches, and the weight of this coloring book is 8.8 ounces. The size and weight of this coloring book are ideal for traveling and storage.
Why should you buy it?
You should buy this easy Coloring book for adults looking for a relaxing time passing activity. The drawings inside this coloring book are simple and cute. Any person suffering from higher stress levels would love to use this book.
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#6 Keeping Busy Shapes Activity For Adults
This Keeping Busy shape activity is similar to a puzzle, but in this activity, the person has to match the blocks’ shape on to the board. It is a fun and exciting activity for people with special needs.
Features and Benefits
- Bright: This activity or Puzzle contains 36 brightly colored tiles. The color of these tiles captures the attention of the user. These tiles also offer tactile stimulation to the person engaging with this activity.
- Offers Guidance: You will also get some templates with this shape activity. These templates will guide you on how to use this activity and get maximum benefits. This activity is also adaptable for different abilities, and the patient would experience a great sense of satisfaction after completing this activity.
- Tested: This shape activity is tested among various patients suffering from dementia. It is not childish or boring. The test patients were engaged in this activity at all times and had a lot of fun.
- Low Vision Design: This special activity is also available in a low vision design. This low vision design consists of bigger templates and bigger blocks so that the person with lesser visibility can also engage themselves in this activity.
Why should you buy it?
You should buy this shape activity for adults as it improves the adults’ concentration and focus level. Adults with special needs that suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease can use this shape activity to prove their general skills.
#7 Tag Products Memory Loss Toy Standing Latch & Key Center
Specially designed for people with dementia, this memory loss toy has a large set of mundane activities that will help them recover fine motor skills and improve hand-eye coordination.
Features and Benefits
- Keeping Them Busy: One of the unfortunate ill-effects of dementia and memory loss is the constant tendency to wander. This toy is designed to keep your loved one engaged in physical activity, thereby keeping their mind focused and hence stopping the tendency to wander away.
- Improves Motor Skills: Another unfortunate occurrence that happens along with a disease like Alzheimer’s is the loss of fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. This device engages your loved one in a set of challenging day-to-day activities like locking and unlocking latches and locks. This in turn helps improve hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills.
- Supports the caregiver: One may not know it, but caregivers to Alzheimer’s and dementia patients are perhaps the most stressed class of people out there. This is because there is a constant need to keep checking on the patient, just like a small baby. Toys like this can help engage the patient for a long time, and give a breather to the caregiver.
Why should you buy it?
Dementia is a debilitating disease, whose symptoms aggravate with time and can have a severe impact on the quality of life. Small gifts and toys like this may not look like much, but can actually help slow down the progress of the disease and add a few more years of conscious life to the person.
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Buyer’s Guide: Best Gifts for Special Needs Adults
Easy To Use
The gifts that you give to the adults should be easy to understand and easy to use. Adults generally don’t prefer things that are too complicated to use. Complicated activities or objects often lead to the adults losing their interest. They always prefer easy to use devices with simple controls and instructions.
Helpful
The best gifts for adults with special needs should be helpful for them in some or another way. While deciding a gift for a person with special needs, you should keep their problems and difficulties in mind. Choosing a gift that helps them daily is the best idea.
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The person who receives the gift would remember you in good regards and faith whenever he or she uses your gift. For instance, you can give an electric wheelchair or a walking cane to an elderly or to a person who has less mobility.
Ergonomic
Your gift should have an ergonomic design to be suitable for adults with different needs. For instance, a puzzle for autistic adults must have bright and vibrant colors to capture their attention.
All the activities or devices you buy for these adults should also have large displays so that the people who also have low vision can see things properly.
Frequently Asked Questions: Best Gifts for Special Needs Adults
Q: Are weighted blankets a good gift for someone with special needs?
Yes, weighted blankets are a very good gifting option for adults that require special needs. These blankets have a cooling effect that helps the user to relax. These blankets are also famous for relaxing the sensory nerves.
Q: Are lava lamps good for autistic adults?
Yes, lava lamps are very good for autistic adults. These lamps consist of a liquid-like structure flowing through them up and down constantly. This movement of the liquid captures the attention of the patient. These lamps also help these people to improve their concentration and focus levels.
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Conclusion
As you grow old you need a hobby or an object that can become your friend. Items mentioned above can become that friend with which one can easily spend time. If you are looking for dogs for someone with special needs, we also wrote an article about the subject.
In our opinion, the Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device with Alexa Voice Remote (includes TV controls) | Dolby Vision is the best choice among the various options that we have considered. It is capable of streaming videos in ultra-high-definition display quality. If your tv supports a 4k display, you can also view your favorite movies and tv shows in 4k.
The Echo Show 5 (1st Gen, 2019 release) -- Smart display with Alexa – stay connected with video calling - Charcoal is our next best choice because you can pair the Amazon Echo with the Fire tv stick, you can watch all the content from the tv stick on your echo device.
If you are looking for a value for money option, you can also consider the No products found., which offers great value and features at a very reasonable price point.
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