(NaturalPath) New research published online in the Journal of Attention Disorders, shows that students who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often fidgeted in the classroom (and are disciplined for it). But fidgeting may, in fact, help them learn.
The researchers took 25 boys and girls with ADHD that were aged 8 to 12 and had them perform a series of working memory tasks, paying particular focus to how much they fidgeted. The first test was easier because the children knew how many items they would have to remember. In the second test, the number of items they would have to remember was random.
The kids fidgeted during all the tests, but about 25 percent more when they couldn’t predict how many items they would have to remember.
For more information, read the full study.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.
