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Fidget
A small repeated movement, or an object used for that movement. Not every fidget involves a toy.
Stim / stimming
Self-stimulatory movement or sensory activity. People may stim for enjoyment, expression or regulation; the meaning depends on the person.
Sensory preference
An individual liking or dislike for a particular texture, sound, movement or pressure. It cannot be predicted reliably from a diagnosis.
Tactile input
Information received through touch, such as a smooth surface, ridges or fabric.
See rubbing surfaces and textures →
Resistance
How much force is needed to deform or move something. Retail resistance labels are not standardized medical measurements.
Rebound
How quickly an object returns toward its original shape after being squeezed or stretched.
Visual demand
How much an activity pulls your eyes toward it. An attractive spinner may compete with reading or watching a lesson.
Consider the visual demands of spinning →
One-handed use
Operating an object with one hand, leaving the other available. Actual fit depends on dimensions and your hand.
Compare roller grips and hand use →
On-task behavior
Behavior classified by researchers as engagement with the assigned activity. It is not automatically evidence of better learning.
Distinguish behaviour from learning outcomes →
Working memory
Holding and using information briefly, such as remembering instructions while completing steps.
Randomized controlled trial
A study assigning participants by chance to different conditions, intended to reduce systematic differences between groups.
Single-case design
Repeated observations of a small number of individuals across conditions. Useful for individual patterns, with limits to generalization.
Observational study
Researchers measure what happens without assigning an intervention. Associations alone do not show cause.
Systematic review
A review using an explicit method to find, select and assess studies. Its conclusions depend on the quality and scope of included evidence.
Placebo / expectancy effect
Changes related to expectations or context rather than the specific mechanism being claimed. Blinding a physical toy study can be difficult.
Confounder
Another factor that could help explain an apparent relationship, such as task difficulty or novelty.
Generalizability
How far findings can reasonably apply beyond the studied people, tool and setting.
Clinical significance
Whether a difference matters in practice. A statistically significant result may still have a small practical effect.
Age grading
A manufacturer’s intended age range and warnings. Consider the individual, mouthing behavior and access by younger children too.
Apply age labels and construction checks →
Affiliate link
A commercial link that can pay the publisher a commission. The current site uses untagged Amazon links.
Use the terms to compare a listing
Start with the action, then look for the component that creates it. If a seller uses a broad term such as haptic, check whether the listing describes a moving part, a surface or a particular type of feedback.