Fidgets Are NOT Rewards. They Are Self-Regulation Tools.
CONTENT WARNING #1: I would like to mention that I am not a therapist and that this blog post is written for educational purposes only. This blog post is not intended to provide any professional services. Social media should never be used as a substitute for mental nor medical health care. If you suspect that you and/or a loved one are experiencing any mental health concerns, it is okay to get help. I highly recommend seeking professional help from a therapist, and/or other mental health professional who is qualified to do so.
In April, after I was finished my student teaching, I decided to return to my alma mater high school, Lower Moreland High School, to volunteer in their ninth grade through post high school Life Skills Support classroom again. As everyone who follows me knows, this is the same Life Skills Support classroom that I volunteered in for Buddy Club when I went to school at LMHS. I also completed my Field Experience in Special Education internship for my Bachelor's Degree in this same classroom in fall 2023. I have volunteered in this same classroom again during their Extended School Year (ESY) program for many years as well. I brought in my container of fidgets as tools to support my high school students and it was SUPER helpful with their social-emotional and cognitive development. I love collecting fidgets and other teacher supplies because that is how passionate I am about teaching Special Education. So, I had more than enough fidgets ready in this container at home. I kept the container on my desk and my students used the fidgets to "de-stress" or as sensory stimulation, healthy stim tools, or comfort items when they were having a moment and on their brain breaks. They were also allowed to use the fidgets during class time for these reasons along with as tools to help them concentrate as long as they were being productive😊
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I would like to debunk the following four common misconceptions about fidgets:
1. First and foremost, opportunities to use fidgets are NOT rewards. They are self-regulation tools.
To reiterate, people, especially who struggle with social-emotional skills as part of disabilities or in the aftermath of trauma, tend to use fidgets to de-stress or for comfort when they are having a moment. Letting a student or child who is exhibiting behavior concerns use fidgets is not rewarding negative behavior. Providing someone with opportunities to use fidgets is the act of providing them with hands-on tools to calm themselves.
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2. Fidgets are not only for autistic individuals/individuals with autism/ASD/individuals on the autism spectrum.
While a high population of autistic individuals/individuals with autism/ASD/individuals on the autism spectrum tend to benefit from using fidgets as self-regulation tools, there is no rule that prohibits anyone else from being allowed to use fidgets. I had former students with other disabilities that affect their social-emotional skills (e.g. TBI, ADHD, anxiety disorders, behavior disorders, intellectual disabilities) that benefited from using fidgets. People who have experienced trauma may also find comfort in using fidgets. In addition, all of my first graders in the general education classroom that I did my student teaching in showed positive results in using stress balls. I have also met plenty of students with many different strengths, challenges, and abilities who said that using fidgets benefited their mental health. Just like therapy, using fidgets is open to everyone. There is no eligibility or diagnoses required to use fidgets for self-regulation.
3. Fidgets are not "always" a distraction.
Fidgets are not always a distraction if used correctly. In fact, I have observed that when many of former students who struggled with paying attention used fidgets during class time, using the fidgets actually increased their attention span.
4. Fidgets can be used for play if played with correctly.
While I agree that fidgets are not "toys," using them as "play tools" can be an exception in some cases. Studies have shown that schools should be giving students of all ages and differences (not just early childhood youth) more time to play to benefit their mental health and overall development. For example, the act of repetitively popping pop-its seems like a relaxing game to some students. Participating in this independent "play" for self-regulation or comfort was calming for many of my former students. Many of my former students also told me that repetitively spinning fidget spinners and exploring different spinning tricks was calming or served as a positive distraction. In addition, when I was student teaching first grade, I provided my students with stress balls that we referred to as "Punctuation Pals" to help them to know to pause when they saw a punctuation mark while reading. I always made sure to provide my students with two minutes to "explore" the Punctuation Pals before we would use them as reading tools. This exploration time provided students with the opportunity to independently discover multiple ways that stress balls can be used. Many of my first grade students expressed that they appreciated that I let them "explore" Punctuation Pals during reading class and other learning tools instead of jumping right into the lesson because this incorporation of play and hands-on learning tools made them less stressed about the lesson. They also appeared to show an increase in passion and participation in classes in which I incorporated "exploration time."
Some other tools that I provided as fidgets for my former high school students included Play-Doh and silly putty. Studies and my own observations have shown that squeezing Play-Doh or silly putty can be calming, increase focus, and even help with muscle control for people of all ages. In addition, when I was working in a school age camp that consisted of half of campers with disabilities that affected their social-emotional skills, I let the children make their own sensory bottles. They filled plastic bottles with colorful beads and taped the bottles closed and this activity was such a hit. The students enjoyed exploring different ways to shake, flip, and roll their bottles as hands-on ways to channel their anger and anxious thoughts.
Chewy fidgets are another healthy stim option instead of biting anything harmful (e.g. their own nails, skin, sleeves, sharp/hard/rough objects) and other people. I have seen many autistic students/students with autism/ASD/students on the autism spectrum specifically use chewy necklaces for stimming; however, any rubber object (e.g. pop-it ball, chewy necklace) can be used as a chewy fidget. Many of my former toddler students with social-emotional concerns also benefited from using chewy fidgets as self-regulation tools.
My top favorite fidgets and other self-regulation tools for students:
- Pop-its
- Fidget spinners
- Stress balls
- Stretchy strings
- Tangles
- Chewy necklaces
- Sensory bottles
- Liquid motion bubbler timer
- Expanding breathing balls
- Silly putty
- Play-Doh
- Kinetic sand - Not a fidget but its soft texture tends to be very calming and touching kinetic sand can also be stress relieving or comforting.
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