Review (4/5): works great for limited time periods in the classroom
I'm a therapist that was working daily in 3rd grade classrooms to support the teachers. I ordered these because many of the students I work with struggle with moderate to severe ADHD, developmental disabilities, and other concentration problems. It's one of the lowest income schools in the state and parents often have very limited resources.
At first I was uncertain how effective they would be. I have fat little fingers and rolled them down each finger. My elderly mother who has arthritis in her fingers and hands used it to. I found that it would help relieve swelling and tension in some joints. My mom also liked it although it was a little uncomfortable for her around her most swollen joints. However she continues to use it and has been better able to do detailed hand quilting which had become very difficult.
For the students I started by showing them how it works and explaining that you can't keep it in one place or on one finger for too long. Each third grader approached cautiously at first. I gave them a time limit of 15 minutes, to ensure they didn't forget about it on their fingers. After the first day, every single day for the rest of the year (6 months ) I had kids requesting to use it. I found it helpful for my Adhd kids during group instruction, when prepping for tests, and when taking tests. Numerous kids told me it helped them concentrate better. One boy who struggled to sit still even finished his entire test! This was remarkable as he'd never been able to do this before. Several teachers and parents went on to purchase them. I quite like them for use in the classroom. They didn't distract others from learning and we're easy to use.
I would not recommend this for most kids on the spectrum as it may provide too much tactile stimulation. I also would not recommend it for kids younger than 8 or 9.