Not sure if you are seeing Fidget Spinners in your libraries (I’ve yet to lay eyes on one in person but I live a sheltered life). Thanks to a Facebook post by Jenna at Chippewa Falls, I read a thought-provoking blog post about them. Not about their popularity or how distracting they are. This post was written by a woman with autism, who discussed how for many years the “self-stimming” of people on the spectrum was considered to be (and still is, in many circumstances), a behavior to get rid of, rather than as a useful coping mechanism for people who are overwhelmed by sensory input. And then, a person who is not disabled pointed out that fidgeting helps him concentrate in meetings–and now fidget toys are all the rage. As she said:
“Think about this: Decades of emotional punishment, physical violence, and other abuses. And then some guy (who just happens to be in a position with more social clout than most disabled people will ever attain) writes an article about how having a fidget toy helps him concentrate during meetings, and all of a sudden, every neurotypical person in America is falling all over themselves to get a fidget toy of their own. “
See what I mean? Read the whole blog post to get more insight (the blog in general is worth looking at!)