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Many adults and parents in my practice are interested in non-medication interventions for ADHD, or want to support the benefits they're already finding with stimulant therapies. One of the key daily practices (in addition to sleep, nutrition, calendar/schedule management, and social support) which I recommend is physical exercise.
A study published yesterday in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology offers additional support for this recommendation. In this investigation, children (K - 2nd grade) were randomly assigned to a pre-schoolday exercise group or a sedentary classroom activity control group. Parent and teacher ratings suggest the physical exercise was associated with reduced ADHD symptoms as well as moodiness.
Investigator Dr. Betsy Hoza describes the 12-week program as requiring "continuous moderate-to-vigorous aerobic activity in the form of structured games and activities" (personal communication).
And Dr. Alan Smith, another of the study's authors, describes the physical exercise in the study as
"activities one might see in an elementary school P.E. setting....We trained our staff to limit sedentary instruction time, and the focus was purely on keeping the children moving (rather than instruction in motor skills, which would be more typical in P.E.). The idea was to keep the children as engaged as possible in playful activity." (personal communication)
The ways in which physical exercise impacts mood regulation and attention may involve increased levels of neurotrophic factor, improved mood (possibly by way of increased brain monoamine activity), enhanced neuroplasticity, or some combination of these or other variables. (Are these benefits socially mediated, for example, or could you get the same results working out alone?)
At any rate, the authors suggest this new study "provides cautiously optimistic support" for the benefits of physical exercise in childhood ADHD. And the findings of this study are consistent with previous research indicating physical exercise is a reasonable addition to a robust treatment program.
photo: flickr
