Are All Those 'Fidget Spinners' Really Helping Kids? Hot toy is probably more of a distraction than a help in the classroom, experts say

[rangerrebew]

Are All Those 'Fidget Spinners' Really Helping Kids?
Hot toy is probably more of a distraction than a help in the classroom, experts say
 
Thursday, May 25, 2017
 

THURSDAY, May 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Fidget spinners may be the latest must-have kids' toy, but claims that the gizmos help students pay attention aren't backed by science, experts say.

Some retailers market the devices as a way to help kids with anxiety, autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) keep themselves calm and focused in the classroom.

https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_165951.html

[Smokin Joe]

Kids here love the darned things, to the point of distraction. I don't see them as different from most any other neat gadget/fad (someone is making a grundle on those things), except for the psych overtones. Someone is going to get a paper/study out of this on fidget spinner anxiety when some kids lose/break theirs. Might be grant money in studying "fidget device deprivation anxiety", and that should take care of the 'publish or perish' requirements of their academic institution for another semester/year.

[mountaineer]

Yep, just another silly fad.

[Joe Wooten]

My wife subs a lot in the local schools and hates the damn things. They make a fidgeting problem with kids worse. IMHO, a better solution is 2 30 minute recesses a day to let the kids, especially the boys, work off some of their contained energy. There was a damn good reason every elementary school used to have 15 minute recesses in the morning and afternoon and a 30 minute one at lunch time (after eating).

[mountaineer]

My wife subs a lot in the local schools and hates the damn things. They make a fidgeting problem with kids worse.

The subject of fidget spinners came up at a gathering I attended last night. I suggested that if a kid wasn't already "ADD" he'd be that way after playing with one of these gadgets. 

[goodwithagun]

My son's on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum and his fidget spinner helps him immensely.

[mystery-ak]

My son's on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum and his fidget spinner helps him immensely.

My grandson is autistic too but not on the high functioning side..low to middle plus ADHD...I am curious if they would help him?

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

These things are so bleep stupid... I had a family member post on facebook that they should only be allowed for autistic kids.

Christalmighty, they're stupid things with bearing in them! They're not magic!

[mountaineer]

Just a few words of caution:

These Moms Are Warning Parents Everywhere About the Dangers of Fidget Spinners
Choking is a major hazard, but it's not the only one.
By Lindsey Murray
May 30, 2017

Most kids can't get enough of their fidget spinners, but after a slew of injuries, some moms are saying they should be pulled from the shelves.

Johely Morelos cautioned her son Cayden about the dangers of fidget spinners after seeing a news story about a Texas girl who choked on a loose part, but that didn't stop the 5-year-old from popping off a piece of his own spinner and swallowing it. "I showed him pictures and said, 'Never put that in your mouth,'" the 23-year-old mom in Albany, Oregon told BuzzFeed News. "I guess he didn't listen that well."

Morelos rushed her son the hospital, but the staff was unable to get the part out of his chest. He was transported to another hospital in Portland where the disc had to be surgically removed. "It was super scary," said Morelos. "When they were putting a tube down his throat, he was throwing up blood. It was really scary for me to see he was in pain."

Cayden recovered quickly from his surgery, but according to BuzzFeed, Morelos now wants these fidget spinners to be recalled and labeled with the appropriate choking hazard warnings. She has taken to Facebook to warn moms about the choking risks associated with these popular toys.

And choking isn't the only hazard. Carol Woods, a Missouri-based mom, told BuzzFeed that her 3-year-old son was injured after a piece of his spinner got lodged on his middle finger. Woods tried to remove it, but ultimately had to take her son to an urgent care center, and eventually the ER, where doctors used two to three different tools before finally cutting the metal piece off. ...

More at Good Housekeeping.

[goodwithagun]

My grandson is autistic too but not on the high functioning side..low to middle plus ADHD...I am curious if they would help him?

For a few bucks it is worth a try. My son uses his while doing homework and it really keeps him on track. I like it better than his chewelry.

[Polly Ticks]

. IMHO, a better solution is 2 30 minute recesses a day to let the kids, especially the boys, work off some of their contained energy. There was a damn good reason every elementary school used to have 15 minute recesses in the morning and afternoon and a 30 minute one at lunch time (after eating).

I couldn't agree with you more.  It's crazy to ask kids to sit still and be quiet for 8 solid hours.  Even adults take an occasional coffee (covfefe?) break during the work day.

[Suppressed]

The subject of fidget spinners came up at a gathering I attended last night. I suggested that if a kid wasn't already "ADD" he'd be that way after playing with one of these gadgets. 

That's why diagnosis is so important.  Likewise, a stimulant can focus someone with ADD, but defocus someone without.

[Suppressed]

For a few bucks it is worth a try. My son uses his while doing homework and it really keeps him on track. I like it better than his chewelry.

An administrative assistant I work with is helped by one, too.

Here's the one that helps me...

[Joe Wooten]

My son's on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum and his fidget spinner helps him immensely.

Yeah, but ALL the kids are being given them, ALL of them.

[Smokin Joe]

These things are so bleep stupid... I had a family member post on facebook that they should only be allowed for autistic kids.

Christalmighty, they're stupid things with bearing in them! They're not magic!

Pet Rocks were kinda dumb, too. Wish I'd thought of it. Someone is making a lot of money on the hottest thing since the hula hoop or beanie babies. More power to 'em, and off to see if I can be first to figure out what the next mostly useless whatchamajigger people will rush to the store to buy will be. There's millions in it!

[Sighlass]

The problem I see with them is eventually kids find an air source capable of spinning them at incredible speeds to where they tend to splatter apart. Anyone that has took an air hose to a gear on a stick knows what I mean, they can bloody you up pretty good if you are not careful .

[Fishrrman]

I'd never heard of nor seen "fidget spinners" before I read this article…

[Oceander]

My son's on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum and his fidget spinner helps him immensely.

That's interesting.  Any ideas why?

[Smokin Joe]

The problem I see with them is eventually kids find an air source capable of spinning them at incredible speeds to where they tend to splatter apart. Anyone that has took an air hose to a gear on a stick knows what I mean, they can bloody you up pretty good if you are not careful .

I told my grandson, "Yes, we have compressed air. We have a compressor. No. Not if you can't tell me how many RPM that is rated for before it flies apart in your hand.

He is content to just blow on it for now...

[roamer_1]

IMHO, a better solution is 2 30 minute recesses a day to let the kids, especially the boys, work off some of their contained energy. There was a damn good reason every elementary school used to have 15 minute recesses in the morning and afternoon and a 30 minute one at lunch time (after eating).

YEAH With Dodgeball, Pop Pom Pullaway (Smear the queer, kinda), baseball diamonds, monkey bars, swing sets - The whole 9 yards.

Let em shake their giggles out.

And then go home and do chores and homework till dinner time.... And wake up early in the morning to do chores and finish homework before school the next day. swimmin holes, dirt bikes, playing hookey to go fishin. Hunting squirrels, groundhogs, feral cats, coyotes.... Giggin bullfrogs... Working in the garden and at the barn. Seeing a stud cover a mare, and pulling a foal from her in the spring - The beauty in life, and the necessity in death. The value of love and family. and the respect of neighbors.

If you want stable, well rounded kids, anything missing from that is a great disadvantage.

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

When I was a kid it was cabbage patch kids, then garbage pail kids (derived from cabbage patch kids). (Pet rocks was before my time).

In the 90's it was beanie babies, furbies, tickle-me elmo, pogs, etc.

[DB]

The problem I see with them is eventually kids find an air source capable of spinning them at incredible speeds to where they tend to splatter apart. Anyone that has took an air hose to a gear on a stick knows what I mean, they can bloody you up pretty good if you are not careful .

I'm still here and have most of my parts...

[goodwithagun]

That's interesting.  Any ideas why?

It's just the nature of the autism beast. We have multiple fidget toys for him, but the spinners are just the cool item now. I have the pea pod for him at church since that is silent, and at school he has a rubber band between his front desk chair legs for bouncing his feet. I always have a hairbrush with me for him to stim on if he needs it.

[Suppressed]