Why Fidget Tools?

Joanne Seymon is an Occupational Therapist, mother of a neurodivergent family, founder of Kaiko Fidgets, and was diagnosed Autistic/ADHD at 51 years of age.

“I was finding as you come into menopause or perimenopause or whatever you call it, I was a little bit more out of control in my world. I think as women we tend to push everything to the side; we deal with all our humans and particularly when we have a neurodivergent family our cups are full. It’s full on. It’s a full cup. We are literally going from fire to fire, from challenge to challenge. We tend to focus on others, and we see the stress, the out-of-control like ‘well it’s just my cup, it’s full.’”

This is where Madeleine Jaine Lobsey, General Manager of The A List, and Jo see eye to eye. Both women did not see their own diagnoses coming, as they were focused on supporting their children’s needs with little attention on themselves.

Like many women, they began noticing signs of burnout and started to suspect they may be ADHD.

Jo shared, “My head was just so noisy; it always has been. That’s the other thing, it’s my normal, isn’t that how everyone is? Does everyone not have ten conversations running in their head?”

Like Madeleine, Jo began the diagnostic process for ADHD and along the way also discovered they were autistic.

Madeleine said, “I was pretty sure I was ADHD, but as I went through the process the person doing the assessment said there was quite a bit pinging for autism. And as I went through the process, I think if I hadn’t been diagnosed autistic/ADHD I probably would have been disappointed because I started to hear myself so loudly in what they were saying. I thought, this just has to affirm it for me now.”

Sharing their diagnoses publicly has been a journey. Both women have heard comments such as “you’re not autistic,” “we’re all on the spectrum,” and “I work with autistic people and you’re nothing like them.”

Despite this, both say the diagnosis was liberating. It allowed them to be kinder to themselves, which made all the difference.

Jo explained, “I am getting to know me—the me that doesn’t have to mask, the me that doesn’t have to push past things that are not okay for me. I get to choose much better what I will or won’t, can and can’t do.”

A common experience in neurodivergent families is a breakdown in their children coping with mainstream schooling. Both Madeleine and Jo withdrew their children from school following severe difficulties and bullying.

Jo shared, “That is how Kaiko Fidgets started. My son was in Year 4 and was playing with a tangle at school. Kids teased him for playing with a toy. He was coming home crying at night. A typical OT and irritated mum went ‘Right, let’s come up with something suitable.’ Kai and I sat down to brainstorm.”

Kaiko fidget tools are purposefully designed to support sensory needs. Many are metal or spiky and originated from experimenting with bike chains and other metal components.

Some tools provide deep pressure for individuals who seek strong sensory input, making a significant difference in harm minimisation.

Jo explained, “Most of our products come from needs-based development. The range is designed primarily for teens and adults. They’re safe for younger kids, but they don’t look like toys.”

Fidget tools play a critical role in daily life for people with sensory needs and many in the neurodivergent community.

Jo shared, “It’s super clever how the brain is wired. There’s the front part of the brain—the Bus Driver—that processes thinking, planning, and reasoning. Then there’s the survival part at the back of the brain. These two aren’t friends.

When we perceive threat or anxiety, we release adrenaline and cortisol. ADHDers tend to have high levels of these chemicals, which switch off the front part of the brain. Movement reduces those chemicals, allowing executive function to switch back on.”