One Technique To Help Children With ADHD To Focus
Use of Yoga and breathing exercises to help children with ADHD
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a disorder that begins in childhood at the age of seven and can persist in adulthood. It is associated with the impaired development of the child’s nervous system. Symptoms include inattention, excessive activity, and impulsive behavior. Treatments include medication and talk therapy. One of the ways to help children with ADHD to focus is by using yoga and breathing exercises.
A recent study by the psychologists at the Ural University made some promising conclusions to help children with ADHD to focus. The study was published in the Journal of Biological Psychiatry. They studied the effect of exercise on voluntary control and regulation in children with ADHD. The study was done on 16 children aged from six to seven years.
Sergey Kiselev, head of the Laboratory of Brain and Neurocognitive Development at UrFU, head of the study says, “For children with ADHD, as a rule, the part of the brain that is responsible for the regulation of brain activity — the reticular formation — is deficient. We used a special breathing exercise based on the development of diaphragmatic rhythmic deep breathing — belly breathing. Such breathing helps to better supply the brain with oxygen and helps the reticular formation to better cope with its role. When the reticular formation receives enough oxygen, it begins to better regulate the child’s state of activity.”
After the training in special classes, the children were able to engage in complex activities, their hyperactivity decreased, attention increased and they got less tired for a longer period. The psychologists also used body-oriented techniques, in particular, exercises with polar states “tension-relaxation”. The training span was for two to three months, three times a week. Sergey Kiselev says, “Exercise has an immediate effect that appears immediately, but there is also a delayed effect. We found that exercise has a positive effect on regulation and control functions in children with ADHD and one year after the end of the exercise. This happens because the child’s correct breathing is automated, it becomes a kind of assistant that allows a better supply of oxygen to the brain, which, in turn, has a beneficial effect on the behavior and psyche of a child with ADHD”.
The credit of this technique goes to the Russian neuropsychologist Anna Semenovich as it was developed by her as part of a neuropsychological correction technique. UrFU psychologists tested how well this approach helps children with ADHD.
References:
