The Jury is Out - but nuance is important!

Research

Angeline Redford, Sheridan College Clinical Research Co-Op Student

Audrie Chad, Founder My Outlet

Fidget toys have become a common feature in classrooms and homes, often introduced with the hope that they can help students focus, stay calm, and succeed academically. For many parents and educators, they seem like a simple, practical support. But when we take a closer look, the picture becomes more complex — and far more interesting.

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What the Studies Show

Some research suggests that certain fidget tools — particularly visual ones like spinners — may not always support learning in the ways we expect. Studies have found they can sometimes have negative effects on academic performance, particularly for students with ADHD-like symptoms.1 Other research adds to this uncertainty, showing that while fidgeting may increase physical movement, it

does not necessarily lead to improved attention or academic outcomes when measured by traditional metrics.2,3 These findings challenge the assumption that sensory-based tools are automatically beneficial in all classroom settings.

A NOTE ON THESE STUDIES

It's worth flagging that much of the negative evidence focuses specifically on fidget spinners — visually engaging, high-distraction devices. Generalizing these findings to all fidget tools is a significant methodological limitation. Tactile tools like textured putty, tangle toys, or squeeze balls operate on an entirely different sensory mechanism and are not well-represented in the critical literature

The Neurological Case For Fidgeting

While the classroom tool research is mixed, a parallel body of neuroscientific evidence makes a compelling case that movement itself — the core of what fidgeting provides — is genuinely beneficial for ADHD brains.

A landmark study from the UC Davis MIND Institute found that children with ADHD who moved the most during cognitive tasks performed the best, and that this relationship held on a trial-by-trial basis — not just on average.4 The proposed mechanism is neurochemical: physical activity increases dopamine and

norepinephrine in the prefrontal cortex, the same effect produced by ADHD medication.4,5

As lead researcher Julie Schweitzer put it: movement boosts arousal, which boosts attention — especially during tasks that are either too boring or cognitively demanding.

"Teachers shouldn't try to keep children with ADHD still. Let them move while doing work or other challenging cognitive tasks — it assists them with thinking." — Arthur Hartanto, UC Davis MIND Institute (2016)

A more recent 2024 study from the same research group quantified this further, finding that participants with ADHD who fidgeted more during later trials of an attention task maintained more consistent reaction times — directly supporting the theory that fidgeting sustains arousal over time rather than just providing a short-term boost.6

Supporting Studies Worth Knowing

Movement & Cognitive Control

Children with ADHD who moved more during cognitive tasks scored significantly higher.

Physical activity was linked to greater dopamine and norepinephrine production — the same neurotransmitters targeted by ADHD medication.

Hartanto, Krafft, Iosif & Schweitzer (2016) — Child Neuropsychology

Fidgeting & Sustained Attention

Adults with ADHD completing an attention task fidgeted more during correct trials and during later (harder) portions, supporting the theory that fidgeting helps maintain arousal and sustained attention over time.

Son, Schweitzer et al. (2024) — Frontiers in Psychiatry

On-Task Behaviour with Spinners

Students with ADHD using fidget

spinners showed greater on-task

rates in a structured classroom

observation study — directly contradicting several earlier studies that found spinners to be unhelpful.

Aspiranti & Hulac (2022) — Behavior

Analysis in Practice

Optimal Stimulation Theory

A secondary motor activity (using a different sensory channel than the primary task) can enhance performance in children with ADHD. Doing two things at once focuses the brain on the primary task.

Zentall (Purdue University) — ADHD and Education

Doodling & Memory

Low-engagement visual-motor activity during listening tasks improved memory retention — an early empirical basis for why tactile fidgets may help certain learners retain information.

Andrade (2010) — Applied Cognitive

Psychology

Parent-Reported Benefits

Parents of neurodivergent children rated fidget toys as significantly more beneficial than parents of neurotypical children — particularly for emotional

regulation and reducing anxiety.

Redmond et al. (2023)

What Families Are Saying

Another perspective emerges when we listen to families. Parents of neurodivergent children often report that fidget toys are helpful — but not always for the reasons educators might expect. Rather than improving focus or academic performance, many parents describe these tools as supporting emotional regulation, helping their children feel calmer and more comfortable in their environments.7 In one study, parents of neurodivergent students rated fidget toys as more beneficial than did parents of neurotypical students, with particularly strong effects reported for children with higher sensory-seeking

profiles.

The Tension Between Data and Lived Experience

This creates an interesting tension. On one hand, objective measures such as grades or attention tasks show mixed or even negative outcomes. On the other hand, parents and students report meaningful benefits that may not be captured by traditional academic metrics. It raises an important question: are we focusing

too narrowly on what "counts" as success in the classroom?

There's also a deeper issue in the literature itself. When researchers assess "fidget tools," they are often studying very different interventions under the same label. A spinner and a piece of textured putty are not the same tool — they engage entirely different sensory systems, carry different cognitive load implications, and are appropriate for different contexts. Aggregating findings across tool types muddies the evidence significantly.

Why One Size Doesn't Fit All

Fidget toys are often treated as a universal solution, when their effectiveness likely depends heavily on the individual — their sensory profile, diagnosis, the specific tool being used, and the nature of the task at hand. What helps one student regulate and engage may distract another. Sensory needs, classroom context, and intended purpose all play a role in determining whether these tools are helpful or disruptive.

A More Useful Question

As educators and families continue to navigate inclusive learning environments, fidget tools highlight the importance of moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches. The question isn't simply whether fidget toys are effective — it's for whom, with which tool, in what context, and toward which goal. The evidence is nuanced enough to warrant individualized, thoughtful implementation rather than either blanket endorsement or blanket dismissal.

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1. Driesen et al. (2023). Effects of fidget tools on academic performance in children with ADHD-like symptomatology.

2. Kriescher, S. L. et al. (2022). Evaluating the Evidence for Fidget Toys in the Classroom. Journal of Special Education Technology.

3. Graziano, P. A., Garcia, A. M., & Landis, T. D. (2020). To fidget or not to fidget: A systematic classroom evaluation of fidget spinners among young children with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 24(1), 163–171.

4. Hartanto, T. A., Krafft, C. E., Iosif, A. M., & Schweitzer, J. B. (2016). A trial-by-trial analysis reveals more intense physical activity is associated with better cognitive control performance in ADHD. Child Neuropsychology, 22(5), 618–626.

5. Ratey, J. (2008). Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. Little, Brown and Company.

6. Son, H. M., Schweitzer, J. B. et al. (2024). A quantitative analysis of fidgeting in ADHD and its relation to performance and sustained attention on a cognitive task. Frontiers in Psychiatry.

7. Redmond, et al. (2023). Parent perceptions of fidget toy benefit in neurodivergent vs. neurotypical children.

8. Aspiranti, K., & Hulac, D. M. (2022). Using fidget spinners to improve on-task classroom behavior for students with ADHD. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 15, 454–465.

9. Andrade, J. (2010). What does doodling do? Applied Cognitive Psychology, 24(1), 100–106.

10. Zentall, S. (2005). ADHD and Education: Foundations, Characteristics, Methods, and Collaboration. Pearson.