Fidgeting to Focus
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Fidgety Phil
Let me see if Philip can
Be a little gentleman
Let me see if he is able
To sit still for once at table.
Thus Papa bade Phil behave;
And Mamma look'd very grave.
But fidgety Phil,
He won't sit still;
He wiggles
and giggles
And then, I declare
Swings backwards and forwards
And tilts up his chair,
Just like any rocking horse;
"Philip! I am getting cross!"
See the naughty restless child
Growing still more rude and wild.
Till his chair falls over quite.
Philip screams with all his might.
Catches at the cloth, but then
That makes matters worse again.
Here a knife, and there a fork!
Philip, this is cruel work.
Table all so bare, and ah!
Poor Papa, and poor Mamma
Look quite cross, and wonder how
They shall make their dinner now.
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Written in 1844 by German physician Heinrich Hoffman, this is one of the first known descriptions of ADD.
Basic principles that I believe about ADHD that are expressed in Fidget to Focus: Outwit Your Boredom: Sensory Strategies for Living with ADD:
Folks with ADHD pay attention to everything simultaneously. What they have difficulty doing is focusing on demand. Boredom is, indeed, the kiss of death and kills their attention. These students make excellent reconnaissance folks. Send them to find out what's going on somewhere and they return with extensive details!
Interest equals focus. If the task is boring, it is difficult to focus on it. Even folks without ADHD know this to be true, but they can often force themselves to pay attention to something boring. Folks with ADHD cannot focus on an underwhelming task and must literally fidget to focus.
Folks with ADHD are natural multi-taskers. Doing one thing at a time is, well, boring!
What is a fidget? A fidget is a sensory input such as moving one's foot, tapping a pencil, clicking a pen, humming, tipping one's chair, biting one's nails, twirling one's hair, doodling, chewing gum, listening to music, playing video games, and there are many more.
Authors, Rotz and Wright, define an effective fidget as "a second sensory-motor activity, one other than that needed for our primary activity, to help us stay alert and focused on that primary activity." Additionally, a fidget should be respectful by being situationally appropriate and not bothering or distracting others.
I have composed the following list of "good fidgets" using the book, Fidget to Focus, and my own teaching experiences.
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Sensory Modality
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Fidgets
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Sight
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colors, decorations, lighting adjustments, fish swimming in tank (real or paper or plastic), mobiles, screen savers, windows, flickering of TV or flames in fireplace, surfing TV channels or web, playing video or computer games |
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Sound
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listening to music, whistling, humming, listening to TV or clock or timer ticking, hearing background noise through open window, playing white noise, talking to self (NO, you're not crazy! You're using a sound fidget to stay focused.) |
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Movement
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swiveling in chair, rocking, bouncing foot, wiggling toes, tensing then relaxing muscles, rolling head, taking deep breaths, standing, pacing, walking, driving, exercising, dancing
In a classroom, invite students to do the chores of passing out and collecting materials, writing on the board or overhead, erasing the board and washing the transparencies, opening and closing windows and doors, delivering and fetching notes or information to and from other rooms (NOT confidential info!), putting up and taking down chairs, cleaning-up before leaving an area. Not only does this provide purposeful movement, it teaches responsibility.
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Touch
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petting animal, touching piece of fabric such as silk, tapping or drumming fingers or writing utensils, playing with fidget toys like Koosh Balls or Silly Putty or a Slinky, folding paper, clicking pen or pencil, playing with jewelry, manipulating cards, taking notes, doodling, painting, sketching, drawing, whittling, sewing |
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Mouth
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chewing gum, sucking on hard candy, snacking, sipping, whistling |
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Taste
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eating, drinking, sucking on hard candies, eating highly seasoned foods |
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Smell
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smelling ... scented markers or pens, scented candles, cooking, microwaved popcorn, and breathing fresh air |
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Time
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racing, sprinting, dividing in order to conquer (CHUNK IT!), reward with physical breaks, accountability--self-imposed consequences or partnering with another person |
*Some of these strategies will work some of the time for some of the folks with ADHD, and because becoming bored quickly is a major characteristic of this neurological style, the strategies will need to be changed often.
"Teaching ADD students to fidget effectively is to train them in two of the most important skills they can ever learn: self-monitoring and self-regulation." Sounds like a great IEP goal for students with ADHD: Student will fidget effectively and appropriately in order to increase attention to task 8 of 10 times observed. This is an ongoing learning experience as effective and appropriate fidgets will change with developmental growth, changing environments, and new situations.
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