Fidget spinners can help with concentration

May 23, 2017, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

For the fidgeters a fidget spinner may seem like a perfect solution to the knee-shaking and toe-tapping that occur when those lucky few have to sit still.

Invented and patented in the 1990s by Catherine Hettinger, fidget spinners didn't gain much popularity until recently due to online videos showcasing them in action. The craze isn’t just for the young; those who are young at heart are also getting in on them.

Fidget spinners are small, colourful, top-like objects. Some come in a cube or skate-board shape, but the most common design is a triad. Made out metal or plastic, fidget spinners uses a concept called gyroscopic action, that allows the object to balance and spin while being held between two fingers or one. The simple concept allows them to come in different shapes and sizes. they can be found bought in store or online, and some people have even made their own using 3D printers.

Fidget spinners have been marketed as toys and tools to help deal with stress, some market companies, like shipping company Amazon, have gone as far as to claim to reduce symptoms of “ADHD, ADD, anxiety and autism”.

More conversations are being started in Canada about mental illness like anxiety and autism. The Anxiety Disorders Association of Canada states in their website that 12 per cent of Canadians are affected by mental illness every year.

While marketed as a one-trick solution to multiple problems, recent news stories about a young girl from Texas swallowing a part of her fidget spinner (doctors were able to successfully remove the foreign object) and the increase school incidents of confiscated fidget spinners have raised questions on the legitimacy of this claim; are fidget spinners good for improving concentration?

Yes and no— because while they do help partially with concentration, they also can diminish it.

According to the website US News and World Report, fidget spinners can be effective at improving concentration for people, especially children, with ADHD if use is done in a structured frame of time.

Another website, Gadget World, also talks about the benefits of channeling people’s fidgeting with a device. They claim that this directed energy results in a boost of memory and creativity.

Gadget World even discussed some unconventional uses for fidget spinners like helping people to keep awake during long car rides, or being used as conversation starters. With the nervous energy being channeled into an object, people found they were able to get more work done and seemed more focused and within the present moment during their daily lives.

However, while these are all positive things about the fidget spinners, people will only feel the benefits if they use fidget toys in moderation. Excess use can turn a fidget spinner into an issue, especially since many fidget spinners come in bright, distracting colours when they aren’t made to be visually appealing— so you might want to rethink using that lime green spinner you bought online in the middle of an important conversation.

For those who want to get in on the craze or need a fidget spinner for concentration, try purchasing one that has minimal visual distraction, so that a fidget spinner can properly stimulate your kinetic senses, helping you to concentrate and focus better.

Remember as well, that fidget spinners are a choking hazard, as the small parts can get stuck in your esophagus.

For the full stories mentioned here in this article checkout the following links below:

http://health.usnews.com/wellness/health-buzz/articles/2017-04-25/are-fidget-spinners-helpful-for-kids-with-adhd-autism-and-anxiety

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a26080/what-are-fidget-spinners/

https://gadgetworld.ae/blogs/blog/spinner-benefits

http://www.ballerstatus.com/2017/05/11/fidget-spinner-dates-back-1990s-heres-history/

http://www.anxietycanada.ca/english/

Article prepared by Ariel Deutschmann

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

The opinions expressed here, while intended to provide useful information, should not be interpreted as legal recommendations or advice.