When a child suffers from ADHD, symptoms she may display include inattention, poor listening skills, difficulty concentrating, easily distracted, fidgets and has trouble sitting skill. Speak to your doctor about ways to treat your child's ADHD. Your pediatrician may suggest a combination of drug therapies and behavioral modifications. Exercise may prove helpful to ADHD children as well with research supporting this theory.
Expert Insight
Exercise may be used as a replacement for other behavioral reinforcers to manage ADHD children. Benefits of exercise include increased attentiveness and a calming influence on the children. Instead of punishing a child, refocus his attention to a physical activity in order to resolve conflict.
Effects
When you exercise, endorphins are released into the body. Since endorphins control your mood, the ADHD child may feel a pleasurable boost after participating in exercise. The brain's dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin levels may also be elevated. These chemicals affect a person's ability to focus, which can be helpful to ADHD children.
Potential
The improvement in behavior of ADHD children is speculated to occur from an increase in dopamine levels from the brain. A 2002 study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, and performed by researchers at the University of Georgia, found that boys experienced an increased blink rate, decreased startle blink response delay, and decreased inability to sustain movement after exercise. Girls during the study were reported to have increased startle blink response and decreased startle blink response delay. Researchers suggested these findings might indicate exercise is useful for increasing dopamine levels to manage ADHD.
Types
Certain types of exercise are the more beneficial to ADHD children since they require extreme attention to detail. Examples include karate, dance and gymnastics. The children must concentrate on their movements in order to complete the routines correctly. However, any type of exercise can be performed, including running, jumping, swimming and soccer.
References
- PubMed.gov; The Effects of Exercise on Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; M Tantillo et al; February 2002
- PubMed.gov; Physical Exercise as a Reinforcer to Promote Calmness of an ADHD Child; NH Azrin et al; September 2006
- "ADDitude Magazine;" Exercise: An Alternative ADHD Treatment Without Side Effects; December 2008
