Sensory tools survey | The tools we reach for

A Tingles listening project

The tools we reach for.

A survey about sensory tools, fidgets and materials.

7–10 minutes16 questionsGo at your own pace

Everyday objects and homemade options count too. Most questions are optional. An email address is required to send your answers; signing up for feature emails is separate and optional. Please leave out names or details that could identify clients, patients or children.

01

A little context

Tell us whose experience you’re drawing on.

01What perspective is informing your answers?Required

This helps us distinguish professional observations from personal preferences.

02What is your role or connection to sensory tools?Optional

Select all that apply. You can clarify any answer in the final question.

03Which settings do your answers relate to?Optional

Select all that apply, whether you use tools yourself or work with other people.

04Which age groups do your answers relate to?Optional

Select all that apply. Please do not include details that identify an individual.

02

Start with a favorite

The particular object, material or small detail you keep coming back to.

05What is one sensory tool, fidget or everyday material you keep coming back to?Required

A general description is enough. A brand, model or link is welcome if you know it. Homemade options count too.

06What material, texture or movement do you especially like about that example?Optional

Describe it in your own words: what it feels like, how it moves or what someone does with it. A sentence or two is plenty.

07What makes that example worth keeping in rotation?Optional

A sentence or two is plenty. Please distinguish your own preferences from what other people have told you.

03

What draws people in

Answer from your own experience or what people have told you. There’s no universal favorite.

08Which actions have you seen people choose or return to?Optional

Select all you have observed, including your own use if relevant.

09Which materials or sensory qualities have you seen people choose?Optional

Select all you have observed. These are descriptions, not a ranking of materials.

10What does the person using a tool say they want from the experience?Optional

Select all that apply. This can be about you or people you work with. Please avoid guessing when someone has not expressed a preference.

11When or where do these tools tend to get used?Optional

Select all that apply to the experiences you are sharing.

04

Finding the right fit

Different people, activities and days can call for different choices.

12Which factors most influence your choice of a tool?Optional

Select up to three.

13How do you check whether a choice suits the person and the moment?Optional

Select all that apply. Different approaches may suit different situations.

14What can make an otherwise appealing tool a poor fit?Optional

Select all you have experienced, whether personally or in your work.

15How might your choice change for a different person, activity or day?Optional

A general example is helpful. Please leave out names or details that could identify clients, patients or children.

16What is one thing you wish more toolmakers or buyers understood?Optional

This could be an overlooked material, a missing feature or a question worth asking before choosing. You can also clarify an earlier answer here.

05

Before you send

We’ll use responses to understand preferences, improve our selection and share combined findings. We’ll only quote your words with permission. This is a listening survey, not a clinical assessment.

Shopify needs an email address to deliver your response to Tingles. Sending this survey does not subscribe you to marketing. Any follow-up will follow the permissions you choose above.

Your answers are sent privately to the Tingles inbox and copied to a private Google Drive spreadsheet accessible to authorized project team members. Privacy policy

An optional little extra

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About this listening project

At Tingles, we’re curious about the tools people actually reach for—the textures, movements and small details that make something a good fit. We’d love to hear from professionals who work with sensory and fidget tools, alongside people sharing their own experiences.

What informed these questions?

We drew on professional and autistic-led guidance about individual preferences, meaningful activities, choice and enjoyment. These are original questions, not a validated clinical questionnaire. The organizations below do not endorse this survey or Tingles products.