The provision of small “sensory” fidget toys during group activities is a low-effort intervention that may be used during group activities to encourage attendance and engagement by children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). As it is a low effort intervention therefore it is widely used however the method needed to be further explored to check effectiveness. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the noncontingent provision of fidget toys during a group activity.
This study was conducted at a summer camp which was specifically designed to improve social skills for young children with ASD. The impact of fidgets was compared with a baseline condition and contingent provision of tokens using a single case alternating treatments design. The obtained results after careful analysis were found to suggest contra-therapeutic effects or decreased engagement overtime for the fidget condition.
The study concluded through its findings that the practitioners should consider using evidence-based alternatives to improve engagement or should engage in careful data-based decision-making when fidgets are used with the intent to improve engagement in group activities for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Reference: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1088357620902501
