Trends come and go—especially when it comes to toys. It’s been interesting to see kids take something simple—say, the plastic and metal fidget spinner—and turn it into a worldwide phenomenon.

But the fidget spinner is something more than just a toy and a trend. For some parents and educators, the fidget spinner presents a unique opportunity to help redirect kids and relieve some anxiety.

There are different types of redirects, including fidget spinners, sensory bracelets, and stress balls. When it comes to different conditions, they each help in different ways. Take anxiety: That’s an inborn sense of nervousness, and very often it’s not cumbersome. But sometimes it can interfere with how we want our daily lives to run. But that same anxiety can cause us to self harm—to bite nails, for example. But if that behavior can be redirected, then it’s healthier. How else can these tools be used? This graphic explains it.

Click to Enlarge Image

Residents in Saddle Ridge are grieving after a five-year-old boy, identified by a family friend as Raheel Uddin, died after being pulled from a retention pond in the northeast.

Emergency crews were notified a child was missing in community of Saddle Ridge near 88th Avenue and 60th Street N.E. around 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Police confirmed Saturday that Uddin died some time after being pulled form the water.

Saima Jamal, co-founder of the Syrian Refugee Support Group, said Uddin and his family came to Canada from Bangladesh and reached out to the support centre about three years ago.

Jamal said the boy had autism and an attraction to water.

Read the rest of the article here.