Today's short post is about a product I saw on my visit to the abilities expo.  First, if you have not gone to one of these events and have family or work with persons who are differently abled I recommend it.  Here is the link to Abilities Expo.  Vendors ranging from car dealers with adapted models, adaptations for curtains and other appliances, standers, wheelchairs to small crafts made by differently abled entrepreneurs.   I have been about 5 years now and have always found at least one thing, an idea, a product or gifts.

Now, on to the real purpose of the post.  I have worked with a variety of students.  Most of them have been in the dysregulated range.  Many, many students have had difficulties with sensory processing.  With this in my background, as I walked through the expo this year I ran across a pod bed.  Now years ago on one of my first visits I had seen a bed that turned into a type of container, kind of like a crib of no escape for older students who may not be safe if they get out of bed on their own.  I saw this before I met a certain student, I'll call him M.  Student M was quick as lightning and would use this skill towards humor or aggression.  He managed to smash two computers so quickly and did quite a bit of other majorly aggressive things except when he was watching car wash videos.  He also was already on much medication but still worked across the room like a ball in a pinball machine.  I asked his mom how he slept and with the longest sigh I had heard she responded, "with a lot of medication". 

As a teacher I work with students during the day. They then go home and parents work with their child for the rest of the day and for their evening.  For some students evening is not a time to rest and it then transfers to their parent who resorts to measures that are necessary such as possibly medicating for the needed slumber for them to continue their professions and responsibilities and the rest for the student to help their brains reset, clean up junk (I recommend reading  Why We Sleep to better understand the restorative process of real rest).  I have also worked with students who have sound triggers or even anxious because of all the unknown things in the corners of their sight.

It is this knowledge that made me stop dead in my tracks in front of the sleep pods modeled at this expo.  The pods allow a type of sensory reduction chamber that can be closed off reducing external noise.  Additionally air flow, preferred sleep sounds and lighting can be controlled from within the pod or from a parentally controlled app.  THIS!  Not only would I enjoy that type of slumber but automatically my mind remembered all of the students who could benefit from this.  Those that were so young they hadn't built skills that they could use independently.  Those that would come to school the next day with large continued dark shadows under their eyes when other kids bounced in full of fresh energy.  Of course I spoke to the rep and his first story of research testing was about a student with schizophrenia who only averaged 4 hours of sleep a night (a quantity that can further exacerbate such a disability).  After 6 weeks with the pod the student was now sleeping an average of 10 hours as well as her caregivers being able to rest.  

Here is the link for the zPods website.  If you know of someone who must choose between adding medication to their child or rest I recommend checking into this resource.  And again if you work with or have a family member with different abilities check out your local Abilities Expo.

After many years in a variety of classroom compositions always including dysregulated students I have found that there is a power in fidgets.  That power is increased focus and attention (Click here for an article of fidgets and Autism  Click here for an article of fidgets and ADHD).    There are a few considerations to the use of fidgets.  

The first is that fidgets are functional for focus.  When introducing fidgets in the classroom I emphasize to students and staff that the fidgets are a "Tool not a Toy!".  I clarify by being explicit in that if the fidget does not help you engage with the group or task then it is not being a tool to assist learning and is more likely a toy, in which case it not allowed a presence.  There are many 'fidgets' out there that are cool and exciting but it is necessary to assess effectiveness.  If it is just fun to have and is entertaining the student without engaging them in the group or task then it is just a toy.  Perhaps reconsider the inclusion of this item in your learning setting.  As you teach this, yes you have to teach fidget use, practice with a few options.  If students are verbal have them help in the selection process by self identifying whether it was helpful (some kids have very good insight into what works for them and we can save some of our brain power by trusting student voice).  If students are nonverbal or significantly delayed this will require more sleuthing on your part or even with assistance of your consult time with your OT or use of a paraprofessional that, if you really want to go down the path, might be able to complete some time on attending interval rating observation.  Message me or request consult if you want more info on this step.

The second thing to consider is that there is not a single fidget that works for all students.  Different fidgets offer different sensory experiences from thick putty to wet slime, pushing or pulling, sound inclusion to quiet, or textural.  My go to fidgets are those that have multiple functions in one tool (see image below for classic fidget cube and click here for site).  This way if a student's preference changes there are options.  You can even get a glimpse of a student's preference by allowing them to explore a Multi option fidget or providing them time to investigate your set of options.  With fidget selection I recommend the KISS (Keep It Simple for the Student) strategy.  Let students explore the less messy, germ baring versions and go to those grease grabbers last (I say this because just imagine the germ generation on putty, slime, play doh).  Also consider that you may have some putty eaters in your midst if you are in the elementary or significant disability settings.  There are several different options that do not require gelatinous composition (click here for a variety pack from amazon).  There are just so many options there (click here for even more options).

Another consideration is ensuring that everyone who works with your student/child knows it is a Tool not a Toy.  Now, that is not to say that you won't get feedback that it appears not to be working in another setting but that is an opportunity for you to investigate its use.  What I have seen in the past are teachers or paraprofessionals that refuse the student to access their tool because they see it as a toy.  They themselves have not been taught that it is a tool.  I have literally had a teacher tell a student to put their fidget away because they needed them to focus on the speaker and I realized I had not explained the purpose of the tool and that we had taught with direct, guided and independent practice the use of the tool so that the student would use it appropriately.  If you are in a school setting perhaps hosting a small 10 minute session might do the trick.  Taking it a few steps further you could share the articles at the top of this post or even get your own evidence to share.  If you want to take them completely down the rabbit hole you might even have a few baskets with all of the types of fidgets and have them choose their own, attend to the rest of the PD session, and rate their perception of focus.

Lastly, for this blog post, fidget preferences may change.  What worked one year may not be the same for the following years so it is important to use your formative assessment to keep an eye on its effectiveness as a Tool not a Toy.