To think fidget toys aren't the same as glasses and wheelchairs?

[IroningThrone]

Came across a discussion on Facebook -one poster said the fidget toys in the vid were plastic tat. Another person replied that they're necessary and in the same class as glasses and wheelchairs.

They're not though, are they? The majority of them seem to be bought by kids who use them for a few weeks then they break and go in the bin. And they didn't seem to exist until a few years ago!

Bain of my life.

Depends entirely on the child, not on the same level of necessity as wheelchair or glasses but fidget toys are invaluable for my DD with ADHD.

Fidget toys can be a valuable aid for neurodivergent people - not just children.

However, trying to compare them to wheelchairs/glasses is a pointless exercise as, regardless of use, they're too fundamentally different as products.

I think for some children are really important and for many are just a distraction. For those that they are important for they are real aid to learning though I'm not sure I see it on the same level as a wheelchair.

For neurodivergant people they are an important tool for regulating and giving sensory input. So for these people they are the same as glasses or a wheelchair.

Fidget toys help concentration for the kids for whom they help.
The problem comes with random others having them just for fun.

They are in no way comparable to glasses or wheelchairs.

Fidegt toys can be important. For some they are very important.

I don't think it is helpful to get into 'x is as important as y' - if someone needs something, they need it.

When used for their intended purpose by those they were originally intended for they are of great benefit.

The problem is they have become general toys.

That's not what they were for.

In what you have quoted ‘in the same class as’, fidget spinners are ‘in the same class’
But they are not ‘the same as’, just as every aid sits in a wide ranging class with varying levels of aid to different peoples specific needs

They are a reasonable adjustment and invaluable to many children and adults with a disability. For some it’s the difference between accessing education, hospital visits, meetings…. and not.

They are as important to my daughter as her glasses are. Actually I’d say more important. She is short sighted but can read with glasses, without fidget aids she wouldn’t even be in the room.

Can we pick apart other disability aids?

Oh ffs you are not being unreasonable. I still predict a surge of people trying to claim they are as essential as wheelchairs and glasses 😂 Only on MN.

Ps: I'm ND, my family are ND but people need to have a bit of wit. You can use ANYTHING as a fidget, it doesn't have to be garish plastic tat. An elastic band suffice. Making them 'a thing' just means all kids want them.

They can certainly be helpful for some children. They are not a vital aid to living in the same way as glasses and wheelchairs are.

Take someone's fidget toy away and they'll find it harder to sit still and concentrate, it might impact their learning (although I worry that fidget toys actually reduce unwanted behaviours more than they increase learning capacity). Take someone's wheelchair away and they can't even get to school.

FWIW a small blob of blu tac is a very quiet, unobtrusive aid. Anything clicky can cause autistic meltdowns in other students (and teachers!) Neither wheelchairs nor glasses cause any inconvenience to anyone else, hence why no one's ever even thought to debate them.

Yes! I forgot blu-tack!

I have absolutely terrible eyesight and many things would be impossible for me without glasses. I would not be able to walk safely without tripping on things, recognise my children in public, read any signs or screens, drive or watch tv. Someone who only needs glasses for driving, or reading the board at school from the back of the class would be fine living daily life without glasses. It's not comparable.

I assume for those who genuinely need movement to learn they are a great help.

It's not reasonable if it has a negative impact on others in the room.

Thankfully the law doesn’t agree with you and I think you’d prefer a lot of children having access to their disability aids than not.

Wow what ignorance. Different aids suit different people.

My DS uses all 3, all three are invaluable in different ways.

He always has a fidget (normally stress ball type) in his pocket at school - most of which are provided by school. They help him massively being able to focus and get through the day. They also help indicate to his 1-1 when he is getting to the point of needing to leave the room (she is always aware before he is!)

DD1 (18) will have a wheelchair, 1:1 and fidget toys to get her through her college day. The psychologist considers them equally important.

They are more like walking canes and sunglasses. Not necessary but hugely helpful and someone who relies on them would feel their loss.

I define a difference between a fidget toy and a fidget tool. When a tool becomes a toy it's time to stop dicking about with it.

The fidget tools my daughter uses are:

A spinner with faces on it. She spins it to regulate and uses the faces to express how she's feeling. In busy environments (eg. On a plane during boarding) she holds it in front of her face to block out external stimulus.

Bands on the bottom of her chair legs or a wobble cushion help keep her in her chair by keeping her feet busy

A stretchy worm helps her while she's reading. She winds it through her fingers absent mindedly.

She doesn't need it to get to round like a mobility aid, but they do aid her in her learning and communication, they also help her feel comfortable in new or overstimulating situations.

But what about the autistic children (and teachers) who can't cope with noisy fidget toys? Where's the reasonable adjustment for their disability?

In this situation the easy, reasonable compromise is to allow quiet, unobtrusive fidget aids (such as a small blob of blu tac) in the classroom.

There's no such compromise when it comes to prescription glasses or wheelchairs.