Spinning Out of Control
It has long been the opinion of teachers that an effective strategy to help manage an individual student's attention or symptoms associated with ADHD is to give them a stress ball, rubber band, paper clip or some other manipulative. The belief was that somehow keeping the student active would help him/her remain focused and structured with the class lesson.
That belief held until recently with the introduction of fidget-spinners and other modern gadgetry that wanted to make the claim that their manipulatives helped students focus and keep them engaged in the classwork. As educators in the classroom, we somehow did not see the claims carry out in actual benefit. We didn't note how providing fidget spinners created enhanced academic levels. If anything, our anecdotal evidence slowed how the spinning device’s become a source of added distraction and continued lack of focus. Many teachers and schools went so far as to ban them from classrooms.
Educators can feel vindicated by the results of several research results that examined the use of these gadgets.
A study by the Regulation Laboratory in Florida noted that the result of giving anything to a student with ADHD to occupy their attention will take that attention away from the teacher. The latest study (October 2019) by the Journal of Cognitive Psychology showed that a group of students given fidget spinners during a lesson scored lower than their counterparts and showed some memory impairment. A German study in January 2019 also showed that fidget devices and doodling, impaired memory and engagement in the lesson. (Stress Balls did not have a negative effect on memory but neither did they have any positive benefit). So, while the challenge of handling distractible students is an issue, it does not seem that handing out manipulatives holds much benefit.
Evidence in the literature advises teachers to seat the students in the front, offer a lot of positive feedback, and change up the strategies so students have an opportunity to get up and move. Using active participation techniques also keeps the student focused on the task and engaged with the material.
The research so far does not support the use of these gadgets and, if anything, puts a negative spin on them!
