So Christmas is coming, geese are putting on the pounds and all that. I am listing gifts to get my family and so far I think I’ve got some good ideas.
But my baby sister is always tricky. She’s Downs Syndrome, and a few years ago autism was also identified. She’s 12. She doesn’t talk much (although she used to a little, but in recent years has seemingly chosen to ignore language) but she absolutely loves sounds and music. She had a CD player which she likes to play with. She is constantly tinkering with it, as she loves repeating the same few seconds of sound over and over. When she’s in front of the TV, she loves to get her parents to show the same clips again and again. She also has a ton of those electronic sound boards like these, which she loves .
I’m tired of getting her the same old thing though, and hope this year to find something special. Anyone got any ideas?
Not reading at all, I’m afraid. If I remember correctly her mental age is approximately that of a 1-year-old.
She has tons of Leapfrog products already they are good but they don’t seem to pull her quite so much.
As for toy musical instruments, she has a keyboard and a microphone to sing into, but she also has a fondness of throwing things, and there have been incidents of long, easy to lob objects destroying large TVs! But it is a consideration
How about a proper keyboard? One that lets you “play” everything from trumpets to bagpipes, and has preset tunes/rhythms to boot. Lots of opportunity for tinkering with repetitive sounds there.
She might have broken the old one actually. But she likes carrying it around. I could probably find a battery-powered one that has preset sounds beyond simple beeps and notes.
How about a toy theremin? She could repeat tones, etc. as often as she liked once she got the hang of it.
There are all sorts of models out there, for a variety of prices.
They seem to be of variable quality, so I’ve not linked to a specific model.
When it comes to music, the first thing that always comes to my mind is the works of Haendel. Or Mozart. Or Beethoven (though Ludwig Van might be a bit too much in this case).
The Water Music, the Music for the Royal Fireworks, The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba. Maybe buy a set of CDs, or put together a special selection for her on CD or cassette? It might start her on the road to a lifelong love of classical music.
Piggybacking on Guinastasia’s suggestion, you could go to Build-a-Bear and record any kind of sound/phrase/song and have it placed in a stuffed animal. The recordings last for years, in my experience.
This synthesizer/puzzle thing is pretty cool: Neurosmith MUSIC BLOCKS Player - YouTube I’ve played with one at the toy store. There is a version with cartridges and one that doesn’t need any, apparently.
I would personally be tempted to see what she could do with one of these.
