07 Feb Stim tools: How one neurodivergent entrepreneur saw a gap in the market…

Image description: The image shows a than you card from Stimagz and a dark purple stimagz magnetic stim tool. The car and stimagz are positioned on a bookshelf with several books from neurodivergent authors.

Stimming (aka self-stimulating) is a form of repetitive movement or sound designed to self-soothe. Stimming is a behavioural response that we all do to varying degrees. Playing with your pen, tapping your foot or picking at your fingernails are all common behaviours. Stress balls, fidget spinners and pop bubble fidget toys, commonly found in many retail outlets, can be used to bring a sense of calm and regulate nervous energy and help to channel focus.

Stim toys are especially useful for people whose focus may drift or who are sensory hypersensitive.

Kody Lukens has used stim toys most of his life. Diagnosed at the age of 20 with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), stim toys have always been an important part of his toolkit as they help him regulate his sensory needs and allow him to focus on the task at hand.

When he couldn’t find a product that met all his needs, he designed his own. Stimagz is, in Kody’s words, “the closest I have found to meet my stim needs and channel my energy into what I really want to be focusing on”. As a set of magnetised rods, the design of Stimagz allows the user to move the components into shapes and patterns consciously and subconsciously, providing both physical and cognitive stimulation.
 
Stimagz were road tested rigorously in the design stage by Kody and his team, who all identify as neurodivergent. Kody hopes his product will help others in a similar way.
 
I’ve tested these out with members of my mixed neurotype family and they are a hit (note that Stimagz are for use 14 years and over).