If you're around kids, you're probably aware of Pop-Its - a new type of so-called 'fidget toy' that gives a sensation like popping bubble wrap.
Yet labelling such toys as a "new craze" minimises how valuable they are for the neurodivergent people they were originally designed for, says Afternoons listener Kahukura Sinvold.
Neurodiversity advocate Kahukura Sinvold Photo: More Than One Neurotype / Facebook
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For people who aren't neurotypical, such as those with autism and ADHD, tools such as the Pop-Its are useful for self-regulation, especially in a stimulating environment like a classroom.
Sinvold fears that Pop-Its will go the way of fidget spinners and eventually be banned in classrooms - cutting off the children who actually need them.
Many people calm themselves with self-stimulating behaviour, such as doodling or twirling their hair, but neurodivergent people have a greater need to self-regulate by physical means, she says.
Pop-Its are one of many products that aid 'stimming' - self-stimulation that helps get people through daily life when it seems chaotic and overwhelming,
Schools can be an unfriendly environment for neurodivergent kids, Sinvold says.
"You have to sit still, you have to look when you're listening, there are fluorescent lights… you're even wearing a scratchy uniform. And all these things are adding to a load of being overwhelmed. By playing with something like a poppet we're helping ourselves regulate and concentrate on what we're supposed to be concentrating on."
Kahukura Sinvold - who is autistic herself - runs the Facebook page More than One Neurotype.
Photo: Pop Its
