Serenity Through Motion: Exploring Fidgets Toys for Autistic Children 

What do you do when you notice your Autistic child gets restless, stressed, or triggered? Among other things, there are particular toys—or props, if you will—that might assist your youngster in calming down and concentrating.

For kids with autism spectrum disorder, there are fidget toys.

Fidget toys are instruments for self-regulation that support concentration, calmness, and active listening. Toys like stress balls, tangles, and squiggles can all be used to treat autism and encourage the reduction of anxiety in some students, which is essential for their learning.

In addition to being visually appealing, fidget toys aid in the improvement of concentration and focus.

All students can benefit from using these, but individuals with learning difficulties like autism spectrum disorder can benefit most.

Paperclips, tags, little plush animals, rubix cubes, stress balls, fidget spinners, body sox, koosh balls, and other objects are a few examples.

In general, fidget toys can be a very effective treatment for the signs of stress, anxiety, and other mental health conditions.

Benefits of fidget toys in Autism therapy

In recent years, the use of fidget toys to improve focus, lessen restlessness, and control anxiety has skyrocketed in popularity.

A child's craving for movement and touch can be controlled by giving him a fidget toy. This improves his capacity to remain composed, concentrated, and attentive.

They provide kids somewhere to focus their energy which is less disruptive and more appropriate for social situations.

•  Increasing focus: According to research, when Autistic children can control or direct their movements, they can also improve focus and concentration. Movement and sensory input can be essential for learning and carrying out tasks as it requires people to use both the right and left hemispheres of the brain. Case studies have confirmed that anxiety and learning can be controlled with fidget toys.
• Serving as minor distractions: Fidget toys serve as minor distractions which can boost focus and productivity by giving your child’s mind a break and making it easier to pay attention.
• A calming effect: Fidget toys can be used to calm your child, as fidgeting itself is a calming mechanism. Fidget spinners and cubes give children a way of keeping their hands busy.
• The repetitive motion of spinning, clicking, or rolling fidget toys can also boost concentration and productivity as they help in calming you down.
• These can also work as a mini-meditation which will help in developing concentration and help in weight management.
• The fidgets could also serve as a type of ritual for many people, which can have a comforting and grounding effect by offering predictability, familiarity, and structure

Types of fidget toys for Autistic kids

Fidgets come in all different shapes, sizes, and textures and are often referred to by various names.

Stress balls, tangles, and squiggles can all be used as fidget toys to promote movement and tactile input which is critical for some special students’ learning.

• Sand, Slime, or Putty: Putty is often used to strengthen fine motor skills, but it can also make an excellent fidget.
• Rainmaker Toys
• Fidget Spinners: Arguably the most popular fidget ever. While the trend is certainly fun, it does provide mostly visual input. Great for calming down at home!
• Electric Dog Pet
• Vibrating Cushion
• Body Sox
• Reflective Balls. These sensory reflective balls help children with autism by helping them develop a visual sense.
• Stress ball: Give proprioceptive and tactile input. These can easily be put inside a pocket and can be made in just minutes. Consider trying different textures inside because they all give slightly different types of input.
• Koosh ball: Perfect for kids who love tactile input, the classic koosh ball has lots of feels, doesn’t make any noise, and can easily be stashed in a pocket if need be. For some kids, this won’t give enough sensory input though.
• Fidget Cube: Some kids love to push buttons or click a pen when they have to sit still, if that’s your kid, the fidget cube may be the perfect fidget! Some cubes make a small clicking sound though which can be distracting, or annoying, in some environments like a classroom.
• Liquid Motion Bottle: Huge visual component for kids as they can endlessly watch the circles drop and take new shapes. These can be used when independently trying to calm or relax.  

How to choose the right fidget toy?

Before buying a fidget toy we need to keep in mind the material it’s made of, and does it make any kind of sound that could be irritating to your kid or disturb others children at school?

Some factors to keep in mind are:

• What skills will they develop?
• Do they have a calming sensation?
• What time does your child need a fidget toy?
• How long will your kid use a fidget toy?

Finally, tactile fidget tools were found to be an effective component for helping Autistic teens who had behavioral and emotional problems understand how their senses influence how they calm themselves and work to control their impulses.

Where to find fidget toys for those with ASD: 

The answer is, right here!

GoC is one of the very few e-commerce portals, catering particularly to the needs of special children, such as children with learning disorders and Autistic Syndrome Disorder (ASD). 

Check out one of our own private brands, Autistic & Proud (A&P), that deals with specialty therapy products, child safety products, and Autism awareness products.

A&P strongly supports the Make in India philosophy, where we locally manufacture all our products, which not only gives our customers better quality but also brings down the cost considerably compared to similar imported products.