GEORGE NEWS - Bridget Hartley, an occupational therapist from George, says fidget spinners can be powerful tools to help people focus, but she warns against overuse. Here she puts things into perspective.
The little rotational devices called fidget spinners have popped up everywhere and are taking our lives by storm.
They are available everywhere - at gift shops, hardware stores, Chinese markets, from entrepreneurial students and online.
A 'fidget' is any small object that keeps your hands occupied while your mind needs to focus elsewhere, like during a lecture, sermon or classroom lesson and reading or watching something. Elastic bands, pipe cleaners, little magnets and a blob of Prestik are all examples of fidgets.
The aim of any fidget is to increase one's ability to stay focused. They provide subtle touch and movement input which helps the nervous system stay calm, but alert. Movement is a very powerful tool for helping us stay focused, but there are many situations where it is not appropriate to move one's whole body vigorously.
A small, unobtrusive 'fidget' action in the hands is a good second best! This is already evident in pen clicking, drumming fingers, tapping a foot and chewing gum while looking or listening to something else.
A 'spinner' fidget can therefore be very useful - if used as a tool for enhancing focus and not as a toy. Most appropriate are those that are solid, heavy and quiet and these have a legitimate place in a lecture room, church or classroom. Others however, have lights and sound and are then classified as a toy and not a fidget.
Dos and don'ts
- Don't try and use a noisy, flashy spinner as an effective fidget.
- Don't allow your spinner fidget to distract someone else - it needs to be unobtrusive.
- Don't use it constantly, forming a habit. Only use it when you need the movement and touch input to help you focus.
- Don't look at your fidget; the whole aim is to enable you to focus elsewhere while using it.
- While spinner fidgets are everywhere at present, only those who really need them will continue to use these (and other fidgets) when this craze subsides.
So within the right context, fidgets as a whole (including some spinner fidgets) are very useful tools. And with the correct application they can certainly be an asset, enabling better task focus, especially in situations which require long periods of sitting still.
Constantly needing extra movement input can also be a sign of irregular sensory processing. If you need more information about this, contact an occupational therapist trained in sensory integrative therapy.
ARTICLE: ALIDA DE BEER, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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