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Expert slams ban on fidget spinners in Scotland’s schools as teachers may ‘not understand’ autism health benefits
FIDGET spinners can have “soothing” benefits for children living with autism and ADHD and help “help reduce anxiety “, a Scottish expert has claimed.
The latest toy craze to sweep Scotland’s playgrounds has caused apparent disruption in the classroom – but fidget spinners can seemingly “focus” the mind and “manage sensory confusion”.
The propelling gadgets are the latest toy craze to sweep Scotland’s playgrounds
Many schools in Scotland have banned the devices – most recently Craigiebarns Primary in Dundee who claimed they are “a distraction” for youngsters and could “really hurt someone” if thrown in the playground.
But Dr Sue Fletcher-Watson, senior research fellow at the University of Edinburgh specialising in developmental psychology and autism believes bans could be a knee-jerk reaction by teachers who are often “out of their depth” with children with learning difficulties.
She said: “I don’t think fidget spinners should be banned. Teachers are often out of their depth with children with disabilities – the logic often is ‘I don’t understand it so get rid of it’.
“We’re talking about children throwing them in the playground – if they were throwing books you wouldn’t ban books, it’s not an issue with the toy itself.
“A blanket ban misses point on what these things are for – we should encourage people to use them responsibly and in the correct way.”
Fidgets, a stress-busting toy first developed to help children with autism, are now popular with children who compete to see who can keep them spinning the longest.
The propeller-shaped gadgets, which come in a variety of styles and colours, have ball bearings in them to keep them spinning.
Pupils and teachers alike have complained they are “a distraction” – including one English girl who wrote to her school requesting a ban.
But for children with learning difficulties, be it ADHD, autism, or even a milder condition that hasn’t been diagnosed, fidgets can actually help children focus, and fall into the same category as autism pressure vests – soothing clothing that gives children the feeling of being hugged.
Dr Fletcher-Watson said: “What these fidget toys do is help reduce anxiety and manage sensory confusion – they give you something to focus on and allow you to block out other things that are harder to deal with.
“For autistic kids the classroom is already distracting – it’s colourful, disorganised, full off visual concepts, everyone is talking and they’re surrounded by smells from the teacher’s perfume to kids’ shampoo.
“It can be very overwhelming for autistic child – so something that gives a single focus is not a distraction, it’s the opposite, and enables them to carry on with their work.
“Lots of people will create their own sensory stimulation by flicking their hands or fingers – this is something we’ve known autistic children do to cope.
“There is the issue of distractability with ADHD, so the principle of providing a soothing focus could be beneficial.
“I think comes down to whether people willing to work with someone with ADHD or work against them.”
What about other children?
Fidgets are now so popular they have topped Amazon and Ebay’s best-selling toys – and in fact for Amazon, the top 35 most popular toys were all fidgets.
4
Top five best-selling fidget spinners on Amazon
For the average child, the health benefits of the hand held toys may be overshadowed by their must-have status.
So should there be restrictions at school for children who haven’t been diagnosed with a learning difficulty?
Dr Fletcher-Watson said: “Some people have difficulties that haven’t been identified yet – so there’s a grey area and it’s hard to say whether they should or should not be allowed a fidget toy.
“We need to identify childrens’ strengths in school and identify the tools to help them – fidget toys are part of that toolkit.”
Source: Expert slams fidget spinners ban as teachers 'don't understand' benefits
Expert slams ban on fidget spinners in Scotland’s schools as teachers may ‘not understand’ autism health benefits
FIDGET spinners can have “soothing” benefits for children living with autism and ADHD and help “help reduce anxiety “, a Scottish expert has claimed.
The latest toy craze to sweep Scotland’s playgrounds has caused apparent disruption in the classroom – but fidget spinners can seemingly “focus” the mind and “manage sensory confusion”.
The propelling gadgets are the latest toy craze to sweep Scotland’s playgrounds
Many schools in Scotland have banned the devices – most recently Craigiebarns Primary in Dundee who claimed they are “a distraction” for youngsters and could “really hurt someone” if thrown in the playground.
But Dr Sue Fletcher-Watson, senior research fellow at the University of Edinburgh specialising in developmental psychology and autism believes bans could be a knee-jerk reaction by teachers who are often “out of their depth” with children with learning difficulties.
She said: “I don’t think fidget spinners should be banned. Teachers are often out of their depth with children with disabilities – the logic often is ‘I don’t understand it so get rid of it’.
“We’re talking about children throwing them in the playground – if they were throwing books you wouldn’t ban books, it’s not an issue with the toy itself.
“A blanket ban misses point on what these things are for – we should encourage people to use them responsibly and in the correct way.”
Fidgets, a stress-busting toy first developed to help children with autism, are now popular with children who compete to see who can keep them spinning the longest.
The propeller-shaped gadgets, which come in a variety of styles and colours, have ball bearings in them to keep them spinning.
Pupils and teachers alike have complained they are “a distraction” – including one English girl who wrote to her school requesting a ban.
But for children with learning difficulties, be it ADHD, autism, or even a milder condition that hasn’t been diagnosed, fidgets can actually help children focus, and fall into the same category as autism pressure vests – soothing clothing that gives children the feeling of being hugged.
Dr Fletcher-Watson said: “What these fidget toys do is help reduce anxiety and manage sensory confusion – they give you something to focus on and allow you to block out other things that are harder to deal with.
“For autistic kids the classroom is already distracting – it’s colourful, disorganised, full off visual concepts, everyone is talking and they’re surrounded by smells from the teacher’s perfume to kids’ shampoo.
“It can be very overwhelming for autistic child – so something that gives a single focus is not a distraction, it’s the opposite, and enables them to carry on with their work.
“Lots of people will create their own sensory stimulation by flicking their hands or fingers – this is something we’ve known autistic children do to cope.
“There is the issue of distractability with ADHD, so the principle of providing a soothing focus could be beneficial.
“I think comes down to whether people willing to work with someone with ADHD or work against them.”
What about other children?
Fidgets are now so popular they have topped Amazon and Ebay’s best-selling toys – and in fact for Amazon, the top 35 most popular toys were all fidgets.
4
Top five best-selling fidget spinners on Amazon
For the average child, the health benefits of the hand held toys may be overshadowed by their must-have status.
So should there be restrictions at school for children who haven’t been diagnosed with a learning difficulty?
Dr Fletcher-Watson said: “Some people have difficulties that haven’t been identified yet – so there’s a grey area and it’s hard to say whether they should or should not be allowed a fidget toy.
“We need to identify childrens’ strengths in school and identify the tools to help them – fidget toys are part of that toolkit.”
Source: Expert slams fidget spinners ban as teachers 'don't understand' benefits
