To think fidget toys are unfair

[RantsAndBants]

Most school have banned them or confiscated them which is unfair on the children who actually need them for things like anxiety,self harm distraction, ADHD etc.

Now it's just a trend and kids can't get away with using their fidget cubes discreetly .

The spinners aren't very well designed as fidgets which is why it annoys me that they are called fidget toys. They usually take two hands to operate, you can't do it unobtrusively in a pocket and most of them make noise or even have things like lights on them making them designed to attract attention.

The cubes etc which have been around for years but "hidden" in the SN community are a totally different thing. It's a shame that they've been lumped in with fidget spinners :(

My daughter needs to fiddle with something - as per her psychologist's report - BUT doesn't need to be a bloody spinny piece of plastic. She's fine with the bluetak... I totally get why they annoy many teachers and there are lots of less obtrusive options.

Yabu
The children who need them can carry on using them

'No proof they actually work.'

Is there any research?

my school have banned them unless the parent writes a note requesting permission and explaining why they need it and the teacher agrees it. that way only kids that need them have them.

Fergus425

Something becomes a trend/fad and suddenly loads of kids decide they "need" one to concentrate despite managing perfectly well for years and you are demanding a link that suggests most of the sudden increase in 'need' is linked to it being a cool trend? Really?

There are some children who do benefit from fidgeting. I don't doubt that and as I've said there are unobtrusive ways to facilitate that and meet their needs.

Fidget spinners have died down as a trend in my school... and surprisingly (or not!!) all the children with self diagnosed 'it helps me concentrate' are back working exactly as they have been. And those with additional needs are still using their unobtrusive strategies that don't disrupt. Funny that.

I bought my DS one and my DM unknowingly bought him one at the same time. He took them into school before they were banned but purely because they were cool.

After they were banned at school I said he could use it during homework (DS has ASC), but he is so bloody self aware at times! He said to me "It's OK mum, it's a fun toy but it doesn't help me concentrate. I prefer my blu-tack."

I'm always pulling lumps of it out of his pockets before doing the laundry. I give it back to him but obviously he loses it at school. The benefit is its relatively cheap for school to replace, so if his class teacher doesn't have any he says he is given a pass to go and knock on the SENCOs door and she'll give him a new lump.

I was quite pleased when the head sent the email saying they were banned and if diagnosed (or in the process of being diagnosed) children needed something to fiddle with they could see the SENCO and try out the tried and tested methods she has. That's what DS did and how he discovered blu-tack.

It's funny how these expensive bits of noisy plastic are somehow seen as cool when the traditional methods for fidgeting aren't nearly as in vogue.

Fidget spinners are excellent for a calming focus-break for an over-stimulated person alone, because they draw your attention and you can focus intensely on that one thing, but for the exact same reason they're a distracting disaster in the classroom.

One of these attached to a retractable lanyard clipped to a pocket or belt loop makes a brilliant classroom-friendly fidget. You can customise it by slipping a couple of little beads onto the wire, if necessary.

RhodaBorrocks
You reinforce my point massively.

The kids who really benefit from fidgeting manage it in unobtrusive ways that aren't faddy or disruptive.

I have zero time for the spike of the self diagnosed bunch who suddenly find they can't concentrate so need to spin a silly toy in an attention seeking manner... funnily enough, making it more difficult for others to concentrate. Naturally, when the trend dies they can magically concentrate

hich is unfair on the children who actually need them for things like anxiety,self harm distraction, ADHD etc

No kids actually need them. They are a fad, as a toy and as an aid.

Nobody NEEDS these toys. We managed for decades without them.

There are ways to support children with additional needs without faddy toys.

What do people think we've been doing for years before bloody fidget spinners came along?

They are a distraction to other children and are just a fad. I support schools banning them there is zero evidence they actually help concentration. In fact it's the opposite.

The fidget cubes, flicky toys, chewy tubes etc were around way before they became the latest fad. And they DO help kids who need them. The only reason most people are aware now is because their kids want them.........when in reality kids with certain SNs have been using these toys discretely for years.

My daughter is 18 and even she had a 'fidget sack' (( small bag of sensory type toys )) as far back as nursery and all through school had chewable jewellrey, flickers etc.

Have we gone back to the 18th century? No, some kids may not need extras, but hey, 100 years ago us lefties didn't need to use our dominant hands to write!! We've moved on a bit since then.
All I know is I've been discreetly supplying my ADD diagnosed child with all sorts of things in his pocket with the understanding it stays there for a while now, and his concentration has come on leaps and bounds. You can see, from his school reports, when we started his pocket contraband. Yep, I'm just one person, but the idea that we can make sweeping statements about all children is ridiculous.
So no, not all kids need to have fidget spinners in class, and to some, it may seem as if we're coddling our kids and bowing to pressure to give them the 'latest' fad, but when you've seen your child's schoolwork improve, he's happier because he's not getting into trouble 'because I can't keep my brain quiet' and everyone is happier all round, just because I pop some things (I'm not saying what because that's not what this is about) in his pockets to fiddle with, I'm going to keep doing that, and ignore the people who expect every child to be the same. I thought we were more enlightened than this.

As for the research? No, maybe not, but in my home, my anecdata shows a happier child, with better results, happier to go to school, and he in no way disrupts class. No one else knows he's got his goodies in his pocket because I don't want them to be confiscated. It's silent, discreet, done only for the good of my child, and has been on the go a long time before fidget spinners became a craze.
Perhaps the research needs to be done to prove these items work/don't work. That's a study in which I'd happily involve my family.

ds1 (who has an ASC) will fidget with anything and everything when he is stressed but at the same time is highly distracted when his classmates use these toys. What he and his class need is for some-one to design a fidget toy that is not distracting to others. Could benefit from one myself as the thud, thud, crash of whatever ds1 is currently fidgeting with is very annoying

It's a phrase I picked up online - used mostly tongue in cheek as most people seem to understand what it means. Feel free to replace with the word experience if it makes you feel better 🤷🏼‍♀️
As for banning - yep. That's why his items are silent and not to be removed from his pocket.

I'm a SENCO and a serial fidgeter (I know that is probably not an actual word) so do think fidget gadgets have their place. For me, they help to reduce anxiety, and help me focus when I am trying to think about something. The tangle toy is one of my favourites as it is quiet and one-handed.

For me, a fidget spinner would be a complete distraction if I was trying to do something useful as I'd need to use both hands and would spend my time just watching it go round and round.

However, I have seen them be very useful at break times for students, especially those who are too anxious to do something else as it does give them something to do and they can clearly be quite calming (except when they're fighting over them!).

I don't think there needs to be actual evidence over whether they work - if they work for an individual that should be all the evidence that is needed. I don't think the spinners are suitable for in a classroom though but teachers should try to find something else that will help the child.