The Effectiveness of ball and non-ball games on improvement of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in the 9-11 year old male students in Arak

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral disorder in children which is characterized by one or a combination of three factors including hyperactivity, inattentiveness and impulsiveness. The purpose of present study was to investigate the effectiveness of ball and non-ball games on improvement of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the 9-11 year old male students in Arak. In this pre/post-test designed clinical trial 60 male students with ADHD disorder, were randomly divided into three equal groups including; ball games, non-ball games and control group. Practice groups had 12 weeks games therapy; (3 sessions per week and 30-45 min per session). The symptoms of ADHD and Hyperactivity were evaluated through Child Symptom Inventory-4 (CSI-4) questionnaire before and after the 12-week practice programs. The results of the present study revealed that after 12 weeks play therapy, both experimental groups had a significant decrease in ADHD symptoms in comparison with pre-test situation (p<0.05), but no significant difference was seen between ball games and non-ball games groups (p>0.05). Based on the obtained findings of the study it can be concluded that ball/ non-ball games, have a positive effect in improving and reduction of symptoms of ADHD.