Great Gifts for People with ADHD

Time Management

Learning Resources LER6900 Time Tracker Programmable Electronic Timer – This visual timer is a great homeworker/chore helper, and great for things like managing screen time and taking turns. Our oldest daughter uses hers every day (you may want some rechargeable batteries for this thing).
Vibralite 3 Vibration Watch with Leather Band – Black/Grey — This is a wristwatch plus timer. It holds multiple reminders like medication reminders, and even an every 5, 10 or 15 minute “pay attention” reminder. Perfect for the daydreamer in your family.

Organization

Baggallini City Bagg, Black — The Bagalinni bags are a huge hit for regular travelers, and the uber-organized. Perfect for teens and adults who need a place for everything—and yet not so much space that “everything” can call the bag home, encouraging better organization.

Knock Knock Lists – Knock Knock offers a variety of great lists for organizing, remembering and even joke lists, but some of my favorites for kids and adults are, the classic To Do list (To Do Pad by Knock Knock), and the 5-day planner mousepad (Knock Knock Paper Mousepad: 5 Days A Week (Pack of 2)). Never loose your schedule again! (Who moves the mousepad?)
Franklin Covey planners or classes. – The Franklin Covey planner is a classic, and elaborate planner system, but if used diligently, can be wildly effective, for people with ADHD. For beginners, I highly recommend taking one of the organization classes. Costco often has the entire starter kit near the year-end at a great value.
Visual Organizers — Jumbo wall calendars can be a great organizational tool. Here’s a large laminated wall calendar: Laminated Jumbo Wall Calendar. Post-It also makes a weekly visual calendar. Post-it Weekly Planner, 17 15/16 Inches x 11 15/16 Inches, 52 Sheets plus 2 Inches x 2 Inches Notes (730-CAL-BB)
Find Lost Stuff — Help your loved one out with a paging system. This unit has four separate pagers—keys, purse, jacket, whatever, page the fob from the base unit, and it beeps, helping you to find the lost item. Wireless RF Key Finder Locator, Remote Control, Pet, Wallet, Key Finder,for ipod nano video classic touch MP3 Cellular Phone Finder New(Free extra batteries)

Academics and Development

How to decide? — Another great pad by “Knock Knock” is a decision-making worksheet. Great for kids who need help with reasoning and impulsivity. Pad: Make a Decision
I Read a Book – Yet Another Knock Knock product. (No, they’re not sponsors—yet!) I love this for kids who really struggle with writing (I have one of these kids). It holds a number of prompts that could be used as an outline for a book report/review, or even stored with books after reading for bigger kids who like to go back to books again and again. Knock Knock I Read A Book Playtime Note Pad (Pack of 2)
White Noise Machine – Some children, who are easily distracted by sounds, can be soothed and even focus better when surrounded by familiar, predictable sounds. My kids both sleep better and study better with a white noise machine or a fan on. This Conair SU1W Sound Therapy, Silver offers ten different soothing sounds.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Home 11 [Old Version] — Speech Recognition Software can speed homework for bigger kids, and include errors such as omitted words. For ADHD kids, this can cut a lot of time and unnecessary frustration off of their homework, and help them to win at writing.  We’ve just started using this with our oldest. I’ve never seen her so involved in actually completing her schoolwork–because the machine responds and she interacts, there is less clicking-around the computer, playing with funny fonts and spacing, and more just getting the assignment done.  It takes a while for the speech recognition to recognize the users’ voice–it takes some training, so be prepared for your student to spend some time reading to it.

Stocking Stuffers

Pencil toppers– This one makes me cringe, as I HATE the idea of buying a product for a kid to chew on. But you should see the bin of 1,000 pencils that my daughter has chewed the tops off of. Some sensory seekers just must to chew on things. Abilations had a great idea when they developed these pencil toppers. Protect those erasers—and the teeth from the metal ferrule at the top of the pencils! CHEW STIXX PENCIL TOPPERS
Tactile Tiger Fidget Toys – Can be chewed, brushed, rubbed, or just “fiddled” with. TACTILE TIGER HAND FIDGET –NUMBER ONE SELLING FIDGET WE HAVE
Tangle Toys – This relaxing manipulative toy can be a study aid, or even for bigger kids, a fidget toy while trying to fall asleep or ride in the car Tangle Creations Tangle Relax Therapy.
Disc O Sit Disco Sit Original Latex Free– For that kid you know and love who can’t hold still in a chair. These are often permitted as a classroom accommodation at school too—it allows the child to wiggle in their seat, without moving the whole seat.
Velcro Brand Sticky Back Coins, 5/8 Inches, 15 per Package, White (90070) – No, it’s not a joke. Some highly sensory kids need something to fidget with—and a few dots stuck under their desk, inside their desk, near their bed, or under the dining room table provides them something to fiddle with, helping the child to relax and ultimately providing less disruption.

For Parents

Yacker Tracker – Since my husband works night shift and we live in a small condominium, especially since at one time both kids schooled at home (now, one attends public school), managing household noise—from the cats wrestling, to the dishwasher running, to “kid chatter” – noise management has been a big concern. We found this wonderful machine, the Yacker Tracker, which has a familiar traffic-light shape, and a decibel meter. Whenever noise gets a bit out of control, it goes from green to yellow, when it’s too noisy, the red blinks, and if things are all out of control, the red stays solid and a police siren sounds. This system has saved me many interruptions reminding the kids to be quiet, and has helped to instill a lot of self-control in the noise department. There are varying settings for “permitted” noise, so you can change the tolerances from day to night, naptime to playtime, etc. Note: The first week or two that the Yacker Tracker is installed, the kids are crazy about making it sound off. I let them get used to its tolerances, and mark on the date the calendar that “enforcement begins.” At my house, enforcement means “if you have energy enough to make this much noise, you have energy enough to wash the dishes.” The deliberate loud noises to make the machine respond ends immediately after the first unpleasant chore. I promise.

What to Eat and All Out Of Lists. – Yet more Knock Knock products. What To Eat Notepad by Knock Knock is the weekly menu, and Knock Knock Note Pad, Pink All Out Of notepads are our family organization secret. Since we work separate hours, basic communications are all on paper! The kids stop asking questions about “what’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack” and they’re encouraged to read it themselves. It also empowers everyone to have a say in the grocery list. Mr. Pennywise does the shopping every Monday with the “All out of” list, and then plans the menu for the week as he puts away groceries. Since there’s three of us in the house that share cooking responsibilities, we’re all on the same page in terms of what needs to get cooked, on what days.

Big Grid Family Wall Calendar – A high-octane family calendar is key. “Big Grid” and “Mom’s family wall calendar” are both excellent, with lines for several family members, plus stickers for non-readers to understand “doctor’s office” versus “birthday party.” Moms Plan-It 2013 or 2013 Amy Knapp’s Big Grid Family wall calendar: The essential organization and communication tool for the entire family

What have we missed? What is your ADD or ADHD kiddo getting for Christmas this year?  Any family favorites for tools and games that make their lives more comfortable?