Study: Fidgeting Helps Students with ADHD

Researchers urge schools to let students with ADHD move more to help them focus.
Published: June 19, 2015

A new study shows that fidgeting may help children with hyperactivity disorders.

The study, first published in the journal Child Neuropsychology, analyzed 26 teens diagnosed with ADHD as they took tests. They studied the intensity and frequency of the teen’s movements as they were forced to pay attention to a series of arrows pointing in different directions.

The students with the highest number of right answers moved the most, as measured by a device attached to their ankles.

The researchers explained that people with hyperactivity disorders are unable to efficiently modulate their arousal systems, but movement can compensate for that deficit, according to nbcnews.com.

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Some schools designed for people with learning disabilities already allow students with ADHD to move around in class, and some experts call for more physical activity in the school day.

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