AMAZON  A Slant of Sun: As this author describes her son's PDD diagnosis, she explores the definition of "normal" and struggles to help her son without destroying his essence. This thoughtful, insightful and beautifully-written memoir remains on our bookshelf, and we often find ourselves re-reading passages.

STAMPS.COM  Personalized Postage: No matter how bad a day you're having, if you take a picture of your child in pajamas and get it printed on USPS-approved postage, you feel better!

AMAZON  The Autism Perspective (TAP): This magazine was just recommended by a mom in our autism parent support group, and from our experience, those are the best recommendations!

AMAZON  Born on a Blue Day: One of the most incredible things about this author is that he has a social ease that defies his Asperger's diagnosis. He sees numbers in his head not just mathematically, but as landscapes: beautiful, engaging, passionate visions. My son, who has mild autism, draws shapes with unabandoned delight and then announces triumphantly: "triangle!"— perhaps he too sees the textures and colors that Tamet writes about so beautifully.

AMAZON  Stokke Tripp Trapp Chair: When I first saw this chair at a high-end baby furniture store, I thought it was indulgent. I know better now. If your child has any sensory issues with sitting and/or eating, you need this chair! Since the bottom ledge allows their feet to be grounded, it provides great physical support, not to mention the bonus psychological support—we can now actually enjoy having meals as a family!

AMAZON  Aquadoodle: This toy ignited our son's love of drawing. The little boy who refused to draw more than one line at a time and found it challenging to play on the floor was suddenly lying on his stomach doodling!

CONTAINER STORE  Toy Storage Drawers: Overflowing toys? Not anymore. These light-weight flexible drawers are a necessity in kids' bedrooms, especially in space-challenged NYC apartments. Pick a color and kiss clutter goodbye.

AMAZON  BRIO Wooden Zoo Set: If your child has autism, do your therapists ask you to work on imaginative play? Although the repetitive nature of trains going around and around a track may not seem ideal, we used these toys to spark symbolic play. This set is great because the animals are designed to ride on the trains. Before long, our son was happily giving rides to giraffes, taking them to school and for haircuts (yes, giraffes DO get haircuts).