The following was authored by my fiance on Facebook, but she agreed to let me copy/paste it here for the Steemit community.
I've found myself in several conversations about the fidget spinners lately. People have asked me if it really works, if I've gotten one for my son yet, if I think it will help him avoid a meltdown, etc.
Here's the thing about fidget spinners: they work - but not for you!
Sorry not sorry, but chances are that they don't work for your child...or your child's friend...or the kid next door..and if you think it really is helping, there's a chance you and your child have experienced the placebo effect brought on by an effective child-to-parent marketing strategy.
If you have allowed your child to take it to school, there's a good chance you have made learning a little tougher for the classroom and his teacher. You have also made the classroom environment tougher for kids who struggle with autism/ADHD, as the spinners are now getting a negative stigma when it comes to parents, teachers, and school staff.
Before you get offended, please...
Fidget spinners, weighted blankets, and chew necklaces, have been useful tools in the autism community for quite a while now.
THE KEY WORD HERE IS THE WORD "TOOLS"!!!
For a child with sensory needs, a gadget like a spinner helps them self regulate so they can process the incoming information coming from all around them. Most of the time, you might not even notice the fidget spinner at first because the student will be focused on their work. The spinner is secondary. Like someone who taps their pencil on their desk or bounces their leg while they work. It's a non-issue.
For the majority of normally developing kids, it is a fad, nothing more than a cool "new" thing their friends all have. Something to occupy boredom and neuro-typical sensory needs, a.k.a. "the wiggles". You think you bought the spinner to help your child concentrate, but in reality, your child has fun with the spinner. He/she pulls it out in class, a time when they are meant to be used, but work turns to laughs as your child and his neighbors become distracted. You think you have bought your child a tool for learning, but in reality, you just bought your child another toy.
Now, many people are calling for a ban. The lack of understanding of the purpose for these gadgets is heartbreaking.
These are not Pogs, and this is not 1995.
In past conversations, I have likened it to the gluten-free fad. No, gluten isn't great for anyone, but SOME people are highly sensitive. After gluten-free became a marketing ploy, a lifestyle fad, many people started rolling their eyes at their friends who jumped on that bandwagon. Now, people who are truly sensitive to it have a hard time being taken seriously when they talk about their gluten-free diet.
I'm afraid that soon the people who need these tools like weighted blankets, fidget gadgets, and so on, will have a harder time being taken seriously when they talk about their sensory needs.
If your kiddo asks you to buy them a spinner, please use it as an opportunity to talk to them about the students who really NEED the spinners and WHY.
Please, I'm pleading with you to use the opportunity to make yourself and your child a little more Autism aware.
