Grandparent Autism Network

a vital resource for autism...and each other!

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Gift Giving Tips and Gift Suggestions

Pre-Holiday Suggestions

  • Inform family members, in advance, about how they can minimize anxiety or behavioral incidents. Enlist other children to be inclusive in pre-planned activities with your grandchild.
  • Prepare your grandchildren for what they will experience in celebrating the holidays with the family. Introduce family games, special foods or traditions in advance to them so that they know what to expect when they visit. Show them photographs of former family gatherings and people who will be guests.
  • Invite your grandchildren to select and display some of the decorations. Choose those with little sensory stimulation. Blinking lights and moving ornaments can be especially distracting and disturbing to them.
  • Tell your grandchildren, in advance, that you have provided a “safe, calm space” for them if they feel overwhelmed. Designate a quiet area with favorite activities where your grandchild can go if they become over stimulated. If you observe them becoming anxious, calmly take them to that space. Provide stuffed animals, a favorite blanket, a puzzle, crayons and other comforting items there for them.
  • Improvise with a sheet over a table to create a quick “fort” for your grandchild if they seek some isolation.
  • Have headphones or soft music available.
  • Plan to have your grandchild’s favorite comfort foods available. Holiday menus may not please them or work with their diets. You may want to ask their parents to bring any special food they enjoy to your home.

Gift Giving Tips

  • Shop by catalog or online with children so they can help to select and anticipate what gifts they will receive.
  • Consider giving gifts one at a time, before and after the holiday, when there is less noise, fewer distractions and more time for the child to focus on the toys and other presents.
  • Children with autism do not typically like surprises: take gift requests. Wrap gifts in clear cellophane or place a picture of the gift from the catalog on the attached gift card. Avoid noisy or glitzy wrapping paper.

“Priceless” Gifts for the Holidays – and for All Occasions

  • Compliment, encourage and reinforce your grandchild’s parents often
  • Provide respite childcare so that parents can spend time together
  • Help with housekeeping chores, i.e. laundry, cleaning, pet sitting
  • Take a grandchild to a regularly scheduled appointment or class
  • Volunteer to bring in treats to your grandchildren’s classrooms
  • Entertain siblings to enable more time for child with parents
  • Freeze individual homemade meals for use when needed
  • Offer your home for a family holiday or birthday party
  • Invite grandchildren for sleepovers at your home
  • Take your grandchild to the library weekly
  • Offer to do carpools for a week or more
  • Arrange for a play date in your home
  • Take your grandchild on a picnic

Gift Suggestions for Any Budget

  • Host birthday parties at local sites or offer to rent inflatable equipment at home
  • Give an annual family membership to a favorite museum, acquarium, etc.
  • Certificates for manicures, pedicures, massages or other spa services
  • Coupons for restaurants, fast foods or meals delivered at home
  • Gift cards for hobby/craft stores or for classes or supplies
  • Sponsor a family day at the zoo or an amusement park
  • Gift cards for department, electronic or book stores
  • Support school lunch costs for a month or more
  • Sponsor a needed service, activity or program
  • Music lessons or other enrichment classes
  • Movie tickets and money for refreshments
  • Tickets for plays, concerts, sports events
  • Fund a housekeeper for a day or more
  • Purchase health club memberships
  • Host a sleepover at your home

Here are Gift Certificates that you can print and use for holidays, milestone events or for any day.

HolidayCertif

AnyDayCertif

Gift Ideas for Teens and Adults

  • Try a free trial membership together at a local gym
  • Locate a new activity to join, e.g. bowling league, laser tag, YMCA or city sponsored group
  • Watch CD’s or movies about a destination you want to visit and plan a trip to go there
  • Give an annual membership to a favorite museum or other local attraction
  • Gift certificates for personal care services, e.g. haircuts, manicures, massages, spa services
  • Tickets for amusement parks, movies, concerts, sporting events
  • Shop together for clothing, books, hobby or special interest items or research online for requested gifts
  • Download apps for productivity and entertainment
  • Commit time to sharing a favorite activity, once or on a regular basis throughout the year.

Helpful Holiday Suggestions

Think Ahead and Establish New Traditions

Plan how you can meet your family’s needs and set realistic expectations. Forgive yourself if the holiday is not “perfect,” and traditional. Modify celebrations to accommodate to your family’s needs. You may have to adapt your home, menu, schedule and family traditions in order to make a comfortable environment for your grandchild with autism. Afterwards, no one will remember what was on the table. They will remember who was at the table and how much they enjoyed being together.

A Family Affair

Notify family members that your grandchild may require extra help or vigilance. They can help to provide a safer environment for everyone. Plan family activities such as cookie decorating, Bingo, singing, sidewalk chalk play, bubbles, games or other activities where everyone, young and old, may participate together.

Prepare Your Grandchild for Special Occasions

Prepare children for new experiences or family celebrations well in advance, by frequently describing the details of the upcoming event. It will relieve anxieties and the children will know what behavior is appropriate for the occasion. Practice introductions and other social behaviors he may encounter before the holidays.

Use Social Stories and Schedules

Write or prepare a visual schedule of activities before the event so your grandchild can anticipate the sequence of events. Use drawings, cut out pictures or download them from the internet to help them understand what to expect. Discuss the schedule many times before the event.

Introduce Special Foods Before the Holiday

Sample holiday foods months or weeks ahead during snack times. Watch cooking shows and prepare some of the special recipes together. If eating habits or special diets are a concern, eat before leaving home or bring special foods with you.

Teach Your Grandchild Not to Touch things

Practice manners before the holidays and explain about the social behaviors that they will encounter. To help prevent touching or pulling off ornaments from the family Christmas tree, provide your grandchild with a “personal” miniature tree with simple decorations that is safe for play.

Communicate with FaceTime or Skype

Visit frequently with out-of-town relatives so children can utilize the Internet to develop relationships with family members who live at a distance. Prepare your grandchild with a special a video visit before the holidays, if possible. Sharing family picture albums before the holidays is also helpful.

Visit stores, Santa or holiday displays at times when they are not crowded.

Consider enjoying Santa or the sites as a “drive by” experience first because that can be less threatening than actually going there. If possible, gradually increase the time you spend shopping together until the child becomes comfortable with the routine and environment. Be sure to give small rewards for good behavior like staying close to you.

Plan to Attend Smaller Parties

Simplify. Do not overstay, it may cause problems for the child and others. Ask the party host to remove breakables from reach. If possible, drive in two cars so that your grandchild can leave early if they feel distressed. Put the needs of the child – and his parents – first.

Pack Special Food and Treats

If your grandchild has dietary limitations or needs, be sure to bring the food with you when you are invited out.

Bring a Favorite Quiet Toys

Pack a favorite video game, activity, music or stuffed animal for the child. Headphones or earplugs may also be helpful to moderate noise and activity levels around the child. If your grandchild has sensory issues with sounds, consider getting him noise cancelling headphones.

Plan an Alternative Activity

Prepare an area for respite time, away from the other guests. Have a favorite activity ready such as music, crayons, puzzles or other quiet activities available.

Prepare and Reward Children Who are Inclusive

Prepare typical children who are guests about your grandchild’s special needs. Plan games and activities that will be inclusive. Reinforce their good behavior with special treats and compliments.

CSUF Honors GAN’s Founder & Executive Director Bonnie Gillman

Bonnie Gillman, Founder and Executive Director of the Grandparent Autism Network and the Family Autism Network program, will be honored on Saturday, March 7, 2020 at California State University-Fullerton’s Honor An Educator event. Bonnie initiated cost-free Socials for Adults with Autism and their Caregivers in 2014 with enthusiastic assistance from faculty members and students at CSUF. Those successful events enabled her to form a unique collaboration with CSUF, Chapman University and the University of California-Irvine. Faculty members and students from all 3 campuses assist at socials – and now students from 10 colleges and universities also participate.

Last October, CSUF hosted 350 guests at the annual Spooktacular Social. The socials enable students to learn about the challenges confronting individuals with autism and how autism impacts three generations in families. Students arrive at the Socials as volunteers – and they leave as autism advocates!

Please support CSUF and this event that honors Bonnie Gillman with the Distinguished Education Partner Award. If you cannot attend, please consider making a donation that benefits the CSUF College of Education.

DISTINGUISHED HONOREES:

Dr. Ellen Junn
President, California State University, Stanislaus
Distinguished Education Leadership Award

Zoila Gallegos ’13
Assistant Principal, Brookhurst Junior High School
Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award

Tracy Siudzinski ’08
Manager, Learning & Development, SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union
Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award

Westminster School District
Distinguished Education Excellence Award

Bonnie Gillman
Founder and Executive Director, Grandparent Autism Network and Family Autism Network Program
Distinguished Education Partner Award

Dan O. Black ’67
Trustee, Black Family Trust
Distinguished Education Community Partner Award

Honor an Educator is a special event paying tribute to community educators and partners who have made a difference in the lives of their students and communities.

You have the opportunity to recognize and honor an extraordinary teacher in your life! Honoring an educator is a meaningful way to applaud the work of educators who impact others every day.

Event proceeds support scholarships for future teachers in Cal State Fullerton’s College of Education.
MORE INFORMATION

REGISTER HERE

Autism Service Dogs: Pathways to Hope

This program rescues dogs from the pound and assigns each dog to a prisoner who trains the dog with the assistance of professional trainers.

This nonprofit’s mission is to:
Provide loving, forever homes for our program dogs
Provide life and career skills for our program participants
Provide Service Dogs for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

and for additional information, visit the Pathways to Hope website. 

Download a brochure here

Grandparent Autism Network and Project SEARCH

The Grandparent Autism Network (GAN) was instrumental in getting Project Search, an international job training program for people with disabilities, established at CHOC Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC). GANs founder, Bonnie Gillman, and her late husband, Dr. Sherwin Gillman, supported a 5 year effort to initiate the program there. Tom Capizzi, the VP of HR, Dr. Nick Anas, the Medical Director of pediatric critical care and Dr. Maria Minon, Chief Medical Officer at CHOC were very supportive in establishing the program at CHOC. 

The program will begin in April 2016. Ten adults with developmental disabilities will receive job training with the goal of either gaining employment for the participants at the hospital, or elsewhere, utilizing their newly acquired skills.

The Project Search program at CHOC will bring hope to the many families that have children with developmental disabilities being treated at CHOC. and it is a new way for CHOC to increase resources and support for the families in Orange County it serves.

Project Search is an international program that was initiated at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in 1996. Its primary objective is to secure competitive employment for people with disabilities. Learn more about this program which has grown to more than 300 sites world-wide by watching the video below. 

Project Search – Job Training for Individuals with Disabilities

The Regional Center of Orange County, will be partnering with Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Integrated Resources, Coastline Community College, University of California Irvine and Grandparent Autism Network to help young adults with disabilities learn skills for employment. The new Project Search program will offer workforce development including volunteer work, work experience, internships, and health care training at CHOC’s location.

Interns build communication and problem-solving skills as well as job specific skills through work rotations. Worksites are assigned on the interns interests and previous work experiences and assessments. Job coaches are assigned to each participant and fade out as intern gains independence. These interns are working to fulfill their goals of achieving competitive employment. Worksite positions/activities could include assembly, clerical, courier, sterilization, stocking, and environmental services.

Nationally, the unemployment rate for adults with disabilities is approximately 64-95%, depending on the disability. Surveys around the country verify that the majority of these individuals want to work. Total workplace immersion facilitates a seamless combination of classroom instruction, career exploration, and on-the-job training and support is a proven model. One of our goals for our clients is competitive employment somewhere in the community using the skills they have acquired in work training. A second goal for adults with disabilities is to continue preparing for careers through post-secondary education at community colleges, universities, regional occupational programs and/or adult education programs.

Linda ONeal, former Irvine Unified School District (IUSD), Career Link Director, will serve as the project consultant through RCOC.

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More Announcements

Gift Giving Tips and Gift Suggestions

Posted: December 2, 2024

Pre-Holiday Suggestions Inform family members, in advance, about how they can minimize anxiety or behavioral incidents. Enlist other children to be inclusive in pre-planned activities with your grandchild. Prepare your […]

Helpful Holiday Suggestions

Posted: November 28, 2024

Think Ahead and Establish New Traditions Plan how you can meet your family’s needs and set realistic expectations. Forgive yourself if the holiday is not “perfect,” and traditional. Modify celebrations […]

Holiday Tips

Posted: November 27, 2024

The holiday season is a joyful time of the year, but it also can be stressful for kids with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other neurodevelopmental disorders. Here are a […]

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Grandparent Autism Network
360 E. First Street #202
Tustin, CA 92780-3211
Tel: 714.573.1500
E: info@ganinfo.org

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Our Mission: To promote awareness and understanding of autism and to enhance the resources essential to community responsiveness.

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