StarTrekker wrote:
I'm not going to lie, it irritates me slightly that things that are technically designed to be therapeutic tools for people with specific disabilities have now become a fad, or "fashionable" for lack of a better word. It feels a little like if weighted vests were to suddenly become cool, and everyone was wearing them everywhere just because. I feel like it takes away from the gravity of the fact that these objects have a medical purpose, and subsequently, it takes away from the gravity of the experiences of people who need them for said medical purpose. I wouldn't hobble around on crutches just to look cool. I dunno, just my two cents on the matter.
I have sensory processing disorder and have been using a weighted blanket to relax for about 4 years. There's something so calming about it. But holy crap, weighted items are expensive. My wife actually made one for me herself because buying a readymade one would have been $80 or something. My son (who has SPD) also has a weighted vest for school and it helps him stay focused and organized. But I've also known NT people who try out a weighted blanket and are like "Hey, this thing feels really good" and find that it helps them relax too, so they buy one. If more people buy weighted blankets, that eventually drives down the price and makes them more readily available--and I do think that's a good thing.
Fidgeting is normal, developmentally appropriate behavior for children. Some neurodiverse children might fidget
more than NT children, but all children fidget. Doodling in class has been found to actually improve concentration. I used to teach classrooms with a combination of mainstream and special ed students, and it never bothered me when my students drew in the margins of their notebooks--whether or not this was specifically mandated in their 504/IEP. My son is in a very progressive, democratic school environment, and no one has banned fidget spinners they just had a community meeting to discuss ground rules for using them appropriately, which I think is a great way to go about it.
Montessori education began as a special education method. Many of Dr. Montessori's theories came about due to her work with developmentally disabled children, but her educational approach has helped many nondisabled children since then