Fidget spinners: Purported benefits, adverse effects and accepted alternatives

Schecter, Rachel A.; Shah, Jay; Fruitman, Kate; Milanaik, Ruth

doi:10.1097/mop.0000000000000523

Cited by 35 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The current social and cultural milieu, which includes fast and socially mediated-but not necessarily accurate-access to web-based information, may further increase the likelihood that parents and teachers access information about nonevidencebased treatments. Common use and promotion of fidget spinners, which are marketed as tools to improve attending behaviors for children with a variety of diagnoses (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ASD, anxiety), recently prompted a review that clarified that no rigorous scientific research had been conducted to support claims of benefit (Schecter et al, 2017).…”

Section: Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Brief Report: Evaluation of the Noncontingent Provision of Fidget Toys During Group Activities

Ledford

Zimmerman

Severini

et al. 2020

Focus Autism Other Dev Disabl

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Provision of small “sensory” fidget toys during group activities is a low-effort intervention that may be used during group activities to encourage attendance and engagement by children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the noncontingent provision of fidget toys during a group activity. Research activities occurred at a summer camp designed to improve social skills for young children with ASD. The impact of fidgets was compared with a baseline condition and contingent provision of tokens using a single case alternating treatments design. Results suggest contra-therapeutic effects or decreased engagement over time for the fidget condition. Practitioners should consider using evidence-based alternatives to improve engagement or should engage in careful data-based decision-making when fidgets are used with the intent to improve engagement in group activities.

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Section: Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

Brief Report: Evaluation of the Noncontingent Provision of Fidget Toys During Group Activities

Ledford

Zimmerman

Severini

et al. 2020

Focus Autism Other Dev Disabl

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Fidget spinners decrease stress and anxiety-provoking habits during medical procedures by allowing social interactions and conversations among like-minded children [15]. According to a previous study, hyperactive movements like fidgeting help children perform better on attention tasks [23].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fidget spinners (FS) are said to reduce stress and help children focus on daily tasks. Despite limited evidence, many parents believe in the alleged benefits of using a Fidget spinner toy in the classroom [15]. Kaleidoscope, with the help of mirrors and reflected lights, displays a variety of ever-changing shapes and colour schemes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of effectiveness of three distraction techniques to allay dental anxiety during inferior alveolar nerve block in children: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Aditya

Prasad

Nagaradhakrishna

et al. 2021

Heliyon

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Background: Among the numerous methods used to control anxiety, distraction is the most popular method for controlling behavior during dental procedures in children. The present study aimed to use a fidget spinner, kaleidoscope, and virtual reality as distraction techniques individually and observe the effects on the anxiety levels of children subjected to inferior alveolar nerve block (IANB). Methods: In this parallel-group randomized clinical trial, 102 children aged 6-9 years requiring IANB for various dental treatments were screened and 60 children who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled and randomly assigned into four groups of 15 each; Group 1 fidget spinner (FS), Group 2 kaleidoscope, Group 3 virtual reality (VR) and Group 4 no distraction (Control). The child's self-reported anxiety levels using Venham's picture test (VPT); the pulse oximeter was used to measure physiological signs of oxygen saturation and pulse rate at three intervals i.e. before, during, and after the IANB procedure. The collected data were statistically analyzed with SPSS 21 software. Paired t-test and One way ANOVA were used to compare the VPT, oxygen saturation, and pulse rate values. Findings: Groups 1, 2, and 3 showed significantly lower mean VPT scores compared to Group 4. Groups 1 & 3 showed lower mean pulse rates and Group 2 showed comparable mean pulse rates to Group 4 respectively during the IANB procedure. Oxygen saturation levels remained non-significant between all the Groups (p > 0.05). Interpretation: Fidget spinner, kaleidoscope, and virtual reality seem to be effective distraction methods and can be recommended as effective approaches to help alleviate children's dental anxiety during IANB procedures.

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“…Unlike prompting and breaks, sensory proprioception strategies (SPS) have not been reported in reviews of IEPS; however, SPS is a commonly recommended strategy for students with ADHD and can frequently be found in classrooms (Schecter et al, 2017). In practice, students are encouraged to engage with the activity through movement, such as fidgeting with a spinner or cube, manipulating putty, or kicking an exercise band attached to a chair (Graziano et al, 2020; Kercood & Banda, 2012).…”

Section: Evidence For Strategies On Iepsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of Four Classroom-Based Strategies for Middle School Students With ADHD: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

et al. 2022

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Middle school students with ADHD often experience negative academic outcomes. To intervene, schools frequently provide services through special education or section 504. These services include strategies, such as breaks, prompting, and sensory proprioception to remove the impact of construct-irrelevant variance. Student plans rarely include strategies, such as selfmanagement, designed to teach students skills to increase independent functioning. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of four strategies on engagement, disruptive behavior, and time to initiate tasks. Fifteen sixth and seventh grade students were randomized daily to one of four conditions. Results indicated large statistically significant differences. Social validity data indicated that students found prompting and self-management helpful, but preferred breaks and sensory proprioception. This study builds on a growing empirical base that supports the prioritization of strategies to teach skills over strategies to remove the impact of ADHD on performance.

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Fidget spinners: Purported benefits, adverse effects and accepted alternatives

Cited by 35 publications

References 2 publications

Brief Report: Evaluation of the Noncontingent Provision of Fidget Toys During Group Activities

Brief Report: Evaluation of the Noncontingent Provision of Fidget Toys During Group Activities

Comparison of effectiveness of three distraction techniques to allay dental anxiety during inferior alveolar nerve block in children: A randomized controlled clinical trial

Comparison of Four Classroom-Based Strategies for Middle School Students With ADHD: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

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