This article about fidget spinners came out a few months ago but describes something that rightly bothers many people.
Perhaps I should be more hopeful. Perhaps we’re moving towards an era of acceptance. Even before the fidget spinner hit the spotlight, more and more professionals have agreed that sensory needs are real, and should be acknowledged and met. Many websites now sell chewy toys, app stores abound with sensory relaxation apps, and plenty of autism “treatment” programs (though certainly not all) have moved away from their prior focus on sitting still with immobilized hands while grudgingly accepted that stimming is actually a perfectly healthy thing for autistic people to do.
The article has too many important points to enumerate but suffice to say that now fidget spinners are banned in many schools.
My nephew is allowed to have his fidget spinner but some teachers still try to get him to leave it alone. I finally bought one to see if it would help me and the first time I spun it I felt an almost instant calm. It’s such a great tool and I wish I had one when I was a child. Sad that some schools are taking them away, especially for those in the autism community.
LikeLike
It is really sad. It becomes a craze and now kids who really need them can’t have them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Although I have and use several stimmers, the spinner was/is the one which I couldn’t/can’t stand, because it emits a low frequency vibration which drives me absolutely insane. The problem with them in my opinion, is exactly this low frequency vibration, which seems to have a mesmerizing, addictive effect on the user, causing actually a weird semi-trance, not really helpful in a school environment. On the paranoid side, I’m suspicious and reluctant to accept whatever becomes a commercial hit 👾🖖
LikeLike