Christmas Gifts for Neurodivergent People

Still looking for the perfect gift for the neurodivergent friend in your life? Look no further. I’ve personally vetted everything on this list. Consider it your quick shortlist for neurodivergent-friendly holiday shopping.

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Air and Sound Regulation

Vornado Air Circulator

“It’s not a fan, it’s an air circulator.”

I’ve had this exact fan, erm, I mean air circulator, for about 8 years now. It’s run nearly nonstop that whole time and still functions as good as the day I bought it. Biggest ND benefits here are audio and tactile. It makes a really nice background white noise that washes out stuff like gas powered leaf blowers or loud cars outside without being aggressively loud (safe for use during a Zoom call). I find I think better when there’s some turbulence in the air too which is a nice added benefit.

It rings up at $80 right now which is a pretty good deal considering it was $70 when I bought it almost a decade ago.

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Noise Control in Public Spaces

Bose QuietComfort Headphones

ND folks have started holy wars over which noise cancelling solution is the best in public. Look no further. The Bose QuietComfort headphones are comfy for long-term wear (very squish ear pads), connect to anything with bluetooth, and hold charge for a very long time.

When I say look no further I mean that I’ve tried every high end Sony noise cancelling headphone, Airpods Pro, Airpods Max and have found the Bose QuietComfort to be superior in every way. Sony has inferior noise cancellation. Airpods Max are extremely painful to wear with eyeglasses, high-profile theft targets, difficult to connect to non-Apple devices, and my pair died randomly after only a year. Airpods Pro are a pretty good runner-up but the noise cancellation isn’t as good since they are in-ear.

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Visual Grounding and Observer Mode

DJI Osmo Pocket 3

Traveling can be difficult for ND folks. Disruptions from the routine, unfamiliarity, time zone shifts, new smells and tastes are all exhilarating but overstimulating. The easiest hack I’ve found for grounding in these situations is bringing a camera. I’ve been doing it since long before I knew what neurodivergence was.

A dedicated camera doesn’t have app notifications like your phone, it’s a single purpose gadget. When I have my camera out while traveling I’m no longer “in” the situation, I’m observing it passively. It gives me something very concrete to do (look for visually appealing and meaningful shots) and helps me get outside of the noise.

I’ve had a bunch of cameras over the years but the best “toss in your bag and press record whenever” cam is the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. It has a gimbal to stabilize your photos and videos, a massive sensor that provides way better quality than a flagship smartphone, and shoots horizontal or vertical so you can choose your framing easily. I love this thing.

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Tactile Stimulation and Focus

Ouchies Fidget Keychain

Fidget gadgets are highly personalized and none of the ones I’ve tried over the years really did much for me until a friend introduced me to “Little Ouchies”. These are cheap keychainable bits of plastic with a bunch of small poky spikes on them. I finally understood why people used fidgets once I picked up one of these.

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Deep Pressure and Rest

Weighted Blanket

Obvious but I didn’t try this til recently. I have the heaviest one. It presses down on my body and this has the effect of dampening my thoughts a bit. My nap hit rate with one of these is extremely high compared to not using it.

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Structured Escape and Play

Steam Deck

I’m a very casual gamer. Mostly this is because of convenience. I hate sitting at my desk and playing games with a keyboard and mouse. I also really don’t like most AAA titles that are coming out. I prefer indie games and retro games. I also most want to game when I’m traveling or waiting somewhere. The Steam Deck is ideal for these situations. It also plugs into your TV and can operate like a regular gaming console for fun with friends.

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Closing

Living as a ND in a neurotypical world is tough. I struggled with this feeling like consumerism for a while but as a neurodivergent person I’ve found that it’s easiest to use a few external tools to regulate your nervous system. Even prior to our hyperconsumerist era folks like Temple Grandin knew this instinctively and it inspired her to create her hug machine.

These are the gadgets I’ve found to be most helpful across a wide range of price points. Let me know if you have other suggestions for the list!