Hey there Bev... my son is borderline Autistic, they say it is too soon to tell but they say he might have a very high functioning form of Autism, Aspergers.
Each child is different in what sensory issues they have. I second the little garages, we bought one of those for my son when he was about 3 and he loved it..... one, it had little stages, so he could line them up (he loves doing that!) and two he liked letting them go down the little track.
Art supplies are big..... something different but still in the drawing theme is a magnadoodle.
http://www.amazon.com/Magna-Doodle-Pock ... B003XVCL3WMy son started off with the small one and it worked well because he could take it in the car with him.
As far as finger paints and clay go, it depends on the child. my son doesnt respond well to them because he does not like to get dirty and hates the texture of them on his hands.
Blocks work well.... you can stack them up and line them up.
I would stay away from the VTech toys. though they are very good and educational, most times they are loud and noisy.
Good luck!