When Autism Fidget Toys Become The Latest Craze

“Mum, it’s like everyone wants to be autistic like me now!” my 8-year-old daughter announced as she came out of school on Monday. She was referring to the latest “craze” for the fidget spinner in her school (and it seems every other school in the country). Suddenly it was “cool” to want to fidget, and if you didn’t have the must-have fidget toy, you were somehow the odd one out. It did somewhat amuse me to think that after an entire month of autism awareness all it actually took to make autism “cool” was a little handheld plastic and metal spinner! So does having what is marketed and made as a fidget toy for those with autism and ADHD become a huge international craze benefit those with autism or not? It has certainly seems to have made my daughter less stressed and self-conscious about her need to “stim” at school. Previously it was rather obvious in her mainstream classroom which children had autism or ADHD as they had access to special cushions, stress balls and tangle toys to help them concentrate or remain calm. While others were shouted at for fidgeting a select few were allowed to “play” with these items at the teacher’s discretion. Having a fidget toy was something only children with a diagnosed condition were supposed to want or need. Now suddenly that has all changed. While this has the advantage of making children with autism feel more included and less isolated, perhaps...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news