Fidget toys and autism

When it comes to fidget toys, I definitely have to thank Amazon. Fidget toys can be found in abundance on Amazon and 3rd party sellers even offer fidget toy bundles to choose from.

Mainly my older son has gravitated toward fidget toys. When he was younger he preferred the matchbox and hot wheel cars to fidget, rolling them across his stomach and face. He also liked macramé bracelets he could twirl around his finger and Rubik cube like fidgets. The past three Xmas seasons, we have ordered fidget toys on Amazon. Some are hits and some not so much. It’s hit and miss with the quality of toys and what we think he may like is not always the case.

There’s one fidget toy we purchased two years ago that he still plays with. It’s a plastic cube with separate shaped pieces that fit together into a square. It also has magnets to draw the pieces into place. We’ve attempted to purchase similar fidgets but they don’t quite meet the quality of this fidget and he shows little interest in the new toys.

My younger son shows less interest in fidgets and only occasionally will be drawn to some random object in the house that he converts into a fidget. Most recently it’s been hangers. I had some dry cleaning hanging in the doorway of a bedroom which later resulted in empty hangers still hanging. He found these hangers and started playing with them by twirling the hanger around his finger. He is able to do this all the while looking at his phone. He is also drawn to exercise balls and enjoys bouncing on them and rolling on them.

Feel free to share your experiences with fidget toys and your child’s preference. I forgot to mention the spinner fidget that was also a hit a few years back. Those, interestingly went mainstream and all the kids played with them.