I am of the belief it is easier to learn from the beginning than to go back later. So I would get her a manual now.
Driving a manual is a life skill and there are no cons to learning it. It teaches some fundamentals of how cars work that people who drive autos may never learn. From working on a lot of cars and talking to a lot of people, most people just know they turn the key, put the car in D and the car goes. Damned if they know how or why anything is. Most have no idea how to use those ear things on the side of their steering wheels (paddle shifters), or why the transmission lever has L, 2, etc. And I would bet that none of the people who had those problems with stuck gas pedals knew how to drive a manual. If they did, putting it into neutral would have been a no-brainer.
I have a friend who is one of 3 sisters. Their dad taught them how to drive on manuals and they never looked back. They are all grown women now, but they still buy manuals. The newest batch of autos are very good in higher end cars but the slushboxes found in economy cars are still pretty bad. You can save a bit of money getting a smaller engine with an MT and still get some pep.
Finally, I have to share the story of my friend who's wife called him while he was at work because she wanted to leave, but his S2000 was blocking her in the driveway. They had taken the S2k out the evening before and he forgot to park it on his side. So he spent his lunch hour making the drive home to move a car 10 feet.
It's a life skill and I think everybody should learn it.
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