Adult-Friendly fidgets
Most fidgets are marketed to children. As an Autistic adult, it can be hard to find adult-friendly fidgets (and the search can break the bank). Here are my top fidgets as an Autistic ADHDer adult who’s tried a lot of them.
Magnetic rings are my absolute favorite fidget, and I take them with me everywhere I go. I have a set that I keep in the living room, a set that I keep in my backpack, and a set that I keep in a bowl with my watch and chapstick—so that I never leave the house without them.
Pros: fits in a pocket, easy to clean, easy to replace lost pieces, low-key, very satifsying
Cons: they can fly apart when moving at high speed and the decorative coloring fades over time with use
My dental health greatly improved once I bought myself some chewelry and let myself chew, chew, chew. Before that, I had been grinding my teeth without realizing it and creating tiny cracks in my teeth that attracted cavities no matter how much I brushed. Since I started using chewelry though, I haven’t had a single cavity, the constant low-level pain in my jaw went away, and my jaw hasn’t painfully locked up once.
I’ve noticed that chewing is one the most judged stims, and that people are reluctant to try it out of fears of being thought of as a “toddler,” but please, tell your internal ableist to step aside, and buy the chewelry—your nervous system will thank you!
Pros: available in a range of densities (I like XT and XXT), easy to clean (I like to use denture cleaner from the Dollar Store), available in a range of designs, very satisfying
Cons: the website clearly markets to children and forgets that Autistic (and other sensory-seeking) adults exist too, the lanyard is not silky soft like some other brands
If you loved slime and play-doh, this is for you! Thinking putty is fun to twist, sculpt, and squish and it comes in a wide-range of alluring colors—including color-changing options.
Pros: available in a range of colors and textures, available in standard or mini sizes, lots of variation in sensation depending on how you use it
Cons: impossible to clean, impossible to sanitize, limited portability/usability (due to being sticky—i.e. it’s hard to shop at Target while playing with putty)
I was on a cruise once, and my favorite part of the whole trip was the daily Sudoku tournament (so Autistic!). I came in, did my Sudokus and left. I never chatted and I never took a prize—I just wanted to play. And I won. Every single day. Really quickly. Even on the day I came in late. I even won while we were on international waters…so I guess you can say that I’m an international Sudoku champion. (LOL, but not really!)
Pros: widely available, compostable and recyclable, easily fits in a bag, available in multiple levels of difficulty, almost never gets you side-eye judgement from on-lookers
Cons: difficult to use unless seated, and requires some amount of focus