Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi!
I'm currently in the first initial stages of designing a product for my GCSEs, specifically for people diagnosed with autism which can help with difficulties in social situations.
My first idea is a fidget toy. I would like to know the pros and cons of these, when they are mainly used, and just personal preferences as to what kind of sensory tools can help.
Also, are bright lights and loud noises something people on the spectrum struggle with?
Any information would be really helpful and if you have any ideas as to what products would help those with autism but aren't currently available or designed that would be great to know.
Thanks!
Thank you for your help!
Thank you so much for sharing your preferences, this is really helpful to know!
Some people love to visually stim, and I do too but on static things, be wary if something has high contrast moving parts as it can induce a feeling like sea-sickness. I also like things that are 2 or more in 1. Eg physical puzzles with lots of moving parts, you can visually focus on it, solve it, and move it around in your hands. My Fave fidget toy is a spinner but it is wholly made of rubber except the axel and the rubber forms a ring of pop domes, that's a 3 in 1, spinning it, popping it, and just rubbing the sides for the texture. And the multiple in 1 works great for me because being AuDHD I have the novelty seeking trait of ADHD in overlap with the love of familiarity trait of Autism so I like to rotate faves regularly.I think that might be the way to go to appeal to a broader range of sensory seeking in a single item too, because not everyones autistic sensory needs are the same so offering a variety and letting them pick the thing they want/need out of a stim gadget will be more likely to provide something for everyone.
I'm going to give you the same answers I gave my younger brother for his A-level product design portfolio (he did not choose my ideas)
longer lasting chewlery, that looks less like a toddlers toy, don't know how you'd do this, could be fun to work out
discreet nose plugs. I'm really sensitive to smell, but unlike my noise sensitivity and earplugs, I don't have discrete stuff that I can use to block the smell, and most people are pretty offended when you're wearing obvious nose plugs to block the smell of their very expensive perfume.