The Standard (St. Catharines)

Fidget spinners switch from focus to distractio­n

- CELINE COOPER celine.cooper@gmail.com

As a general rule, I don’t buy toys for my kids. We have enough stuff in our house. Despite my stand on the matter, it amazes me how many toys we somehow manage to accumulate through birthdays, Christmas, random junk lying around the streets of Mile End that someone decides to bring home.

So when my kids started talking about wanting something called a fidget spinner, I thought, oh great. Here we go again.

This is how I learned about the latest craze that seems to be obsessing kids and adults alike. Marketed as an aid for people with anxiety, autism or attention deficit hyperactiv­ity disorder (ADHD), a fidget spinner is a small, ball-bearing device that spins between your fingers.

For some inexplicab­le reason, they’re suddenly flying off the shelves in Canada, the United States and many other countries as the hottest, must-have toy of the year. Kids are bringing them everywhere, including into the classroom.

Teachers, understand­ably, are getting fed up with trying to teach a room full of kids playing with tiny little whirly things. Schools have started to ban them.

My son had been hoarding a gift certificat­e he received as a birthday present last year, and decided it was time to cash it in. He walked to the toy store on Avenue du Parc in Montreal after school and acquired a blue spinner. Despite my staunch anti-stuff stand, I was still curious to see what all the fuss was about.

He took the thing out of the box and showed me how it worked.

I thought: That’s it? What’s the big deal?

Toy fads have existed forever. As far they go, this craze is nothing to get worked up about. In fact, it’s got a lot going for it.

A fidget spinner is the most banal, low-tech toy on the market. It doesn’t require batteries or need to be recharged. You don’t have to buy an app to make it work, plug it in to make it run, or activate it by registerin­g with your email on some suspect website. I don’t have to wash it. It’s not a drone. It doesn’t involve YouTube. It doesn’t come with a million pieces or an instructio­n manual and an Allen key. Yes, there are high and low-end versions but you can get one for less than 10 bucks. It’s a fairly affordable, accessible toy.

I also appreciate the fact that while it’s a toy designed as an aid for kids with attention issues, suddenly all the kids want in. There’s something inclusive about this trend, though I’d be curious to know what parents who have kids with special needs think.

My bigger question was this: What are these toys doing in the classroom in the first place?

My brother, who is certified in occupation­al therapy and works as a behavioura­l specialist in a Montrealar­ea school, helped me understand:

“It’s interestin­g because these things were introduced as a method for kids who need sensory input to regulate themselves. Spinners were something to use discreetly under their desks to help them focus. When they came out, they were considered as special equipment. But they’re also fun toys for everyone, so suddenly it wasn’t just a therapeuti­c device for kids with attention issues. All the kids wanted them.

“Now the irony is that something that was helping certain kids to focus is now distractin­g other kids. So some schools have felt they have no choice but to ban them. It’s a dilemma.”

While fidget spinners are trending (and like all trends, it won’t last), it’s an issue that needs to be resolved.

I’m all for the fidget spinner as a harmless, fun toy. But as a therapeuti­c tool, teachers and school administra­tion should get the final say over who gets to use them in the classroom.

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