Fidget Tools as Interventions: Examining the Effects of Fidget Devices on Disruptive Behavior in Students with Autism
摘要
With the growing popularization of fidget devices in media, academia, and public-school settings, there is a critical need to expand the literature examining the effectiveness of fidget devices as therapeutic tools. Tools such as pop-its, tangle puzzles, putties, chair bands, and fidget cubes are advertised as having therapeutic effects on neurodivergent students such as those with autism spectrum disorder. This study seeks to contribute to an evidence base for these claims by examining the effects of sensory putty, pop-its, and foot fidget bands as interventions meant to decrease occurrences of disruptive behavior in three middle school students with autism. Using a single-case alternating treatment design, observational data was collected that indicates the three fidget devices have inconclusive effects on behavioral patterns. Discussion and limitations focus on key considerations related to conducting in-school research with students with autism, along with broader implications for future studies on the effectiveness of fidget devices as therapeutic interventions.