i recently sat in on a seminar on ADHD, and saw a lady (ADHDer) sitting near by playing with what looked like play-doh of some sort. i figured she used this to help her concentrate on the speaker, and distract her to keep from getting up and walking around. i knew she was paying attention because she asked really good questions to the presenter, and gave good input on the topic.

it was fascinating to see it, becuase sometimes when i have something in my hands, thats what distracts me ... and i don't have ADHD! :D

i was wondering :rolleyes: is there anyone else that does similar things?

Wow, that's a great idea. I have the horrible habit of pulling out my hair instead of fidgeting, which seems to disgust those sitting near me in class.

I'd better get some clay.

i was wondering is there anyone else that does similar things?

I find multi-tasking, or secondary sensory in put very useful. It helps me to concentrated especially if I have to remain seated and pay attention at the same time. The secondary sensory input is some thing that increases stimulation in the brain, it is well described in a book called "Fidget to Focus"

Under arousal seeks arousal - ADD. Secondary sensory is best if the secondary sensory input doesn't compete for the same sense required to focus on the primary task and is not distracting or disruptive for others. An example I am listening to music through head phones while I am posting this because the music increases my arousal via auditory, it also cuts down on “uncontrollable” auditory distractions like the cat grooming or my partner channel surfing.

So not only do I use secondary sensory input to increase stimulation in me brain I try to kill more than one basket with each bird. . . . by cutting down on more distracting inputs that are “un-planned” or out of my reasonable control! The under stimulation means my brain will create a distraction it self if I do not offer it a diversion it really helps if I can use the secondary sensory input as a physical filter. . . this makes it doubly effective

Fidgeting really helps my concentration.

At school im always fidgeting with something, like my pen or anything thats near me actually. My teachers don't really understand though, they always tell me "Stop fidgeting and pay attention." And I don't know how to explain to them that fidgeting is the only thing keeping me from getting up and walking around. So it is actually helping me pay attention.

Definitely, I always have the TV on when i'm working on the laptop in the bedroom, but its just for background noise and the only way I seem to be able to get my work done,lol. Someone will come in and ask "whatcha watching?" and I won't have any idea what i've had on!



i recently sat in on a seminar on ADHD, and saw a lady (ADHDer) sitting near by playing with what looked like play-doh of some sort. i figured she used this to help her concentrate on the speaker, and distract her to keep from getting up and walking around. i knew she was paying attention because she asked really good questions to the presenter, and gave good input on the topic.

it was fascinating to see it, becuase sometimes when i have something in my hands, thats what distracts me ... and i don't have ADHD! :D

i was wondering :rolleyes: is there anyone else that does similar things?

Yep. Wasn't allowed to fidget AT ALL even as a toddler because it distracted others. (Fortunately inattentive type, except for hyperactive mind, or else I might not have survived this period of my life.) The only acceptable fidgeting was note-taking, so my notes got {really} creative--all sorts of note-taking games to keep the rest of my mind occupied without distracting myself from the subject at hand.. still do it.

i know i've read about it somewhere ... but when i saw it, it was just a reality hit ... these things just aren't in books for the sake of it, people actually do them ... and everyone has their own techniques.

that's so awsome! i find these so interesting :)

I can't do my work unless I have the radio on at work, It is a must for me. I don't even know what is playing but it helps me. Funny, that is not disturbing me, but if someone comes over and starts talking to me it takes me a really long time to get back into the work-groove. Must have something to do with the constant sound.

when I was younger and played a lot of Dungeons and Dragons and when I ran the game I would drive a lot of my players nuts because I would have to stand up and walk around and always stay in motion. There was a lot to keep straight and would have 5 or more players to keep track of too. If I wasn't moving, I couldn't do it. There were even times when I would climb up on my chair cause I had to keep moving.

Yep my teachers dont let me use clicky pens because I cant stop clicking them. The weird thing is I dont even realize Im doing it until they say something. But my teachers realized that if my hands arent doing something I cant sit still so they usually give me something quieter to play with instead. Stress balls are nice but they usually end up flying across the room when you give them to me.:D But rubber bands work and I've played with paper clips before and tangles are the best!!

I always had the tendency to draw in class, but clicking pens is another favorite of mine (I had a thread on here once about clicking pens...).

Yeah, I do kinesthetic actions all the time to concentrate. Examples include...

1. Tearing up napkins while in a conversation.
2. Massive doodling in classes.
3. Tapping my feet.
4. Getting up out of my chair to walk around.
5. Reading a book while listening to others talk. Did this a ton in high school and made me well read but got me poor grades.

I think this has to do with my constant need for stimulation.

Wow what a fascinating subject. I thought it was just me being a little obsessive compulsive.

I do all sorts of things like tapping out rythms, patterns etc. with my fingertips.
Also crazy doodling while talking on the telephone ( I really should get a headset so I can keep moving)

I think for me it's an involuntary way of trying to stay focused and at the same time a calming mechanism when my anxiety is raging. stops me from going off the edge

If I'm not doodling, I'll trace out geometric patterns with my fingertips. I have so manty fidgety habits that I can't count them.

Me :D

i know i've read about it somewhere ... but when i saw it, it was just a reality hit ... these things just aren't in books for the sake of it, people actually do them ... and everyone has their own techniques.

The absolute best book I have every read on this subject, and I related to it very well . . .

“Fidget to Focus”
By Roland Rotz PhD and Sarah D. Wright W.S.,A.C.T.

Page 38-39

When we fidget in order to focus, the fidgeting results in the short-term modulation of our deregulated neurological system . This is, at least, What we think is going on knowing what we do Is about neurology. The deregulation happens when there is not enough stimulation for the feed back loops in our brains to sustain adequate biochemical activity. When we are underarounsed the sense we are predominantly using is operating ineffectively in that moment . For instance of our minds are not able to sustain focus during a lecture, happens because our auditory processing is failing to keep us sufficiently stimulated, despite the level of importance of the event. In simpler terms the activity may be interesting just not interesting enough to keep our attention.


In simplest terms an effective fidget is a secondary sensory-motor activity we engage in to support the first. ***end quote

Apx 150 pages easy read even for an ADHDer with dyslexia like me. . . I highly recommend it to any fidgeter or any one interested in fidgeters!