The effectiveness of motor skills training on response and attention inhibition and concentration in children with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder

One of the problems of childeren with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder is a problem in executive functions that can be increased by teaching motor skills. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of motor skills training on inhibition of response and attention and concentration in children with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder.

The method of this research was quasi-experimental and pre-test-post-test with control group. The statistical population of this study included all male students in the sixth grade of elementary school in Kerman in the academic year of 2020. The research sample consisted of 30 people who were selected by available sampling method and were randomly divided into two intervention groups (15 people) and control (15 people). They responded to the Swanson and Nolan and Pelham Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder tests, the color-word Stroop test, and the continuous performance test before and after the intervention. The intervention group received motor skills training sessions as a group during 18 sessions of 45 minutes and the control group did not receive any training.

The response of the intervention group was significantly increased compared to the control group in response and attention. The effectiveness of motor skills training on response recovery and attention and concentration in the post-test was confirmed (p <0.01). The magnitude of this effect on the executive function of response inhibition was 0.44 and attention and concentration was 0.77.

Motor skills training is effective in improving the response inhibition, attention and concentration of students with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Therefore, this type of education can be used to reduce the problems of students with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder.