new study on ADHD

[Abigail]

and sensory integration

Public release date: 12-May-2005

Contact: Eryn Jelesiewicz

dobeck@temple.edu

215-707-0730

Temple University Health Sciences Center

Study finds ADHD improves with sensory intervention

Preliminary findings from a study of children with attention deficit

hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show that sensory intervention -- for

example, deep pressure and strenuous exercise -- can significantly

improve problem behaviors such as restlessness, impulsivity and

hyperactivity. Of the children receiving occupational therapy, 95

percent improved. This is the first study of this size on sensory

intervention for ADHD.

The Temple University researchers, Kristie Koenig, Ph.D., OTR/L, and

Moya Kinnealey, Ph.D., OTR/L, wanted to determine whether ADHD problem

behaviors would decrease if underlying sensory and neurological issues

were addressed with occupational therapy. Their study, "Comparative

Outcomes of Children with ADHD: Treatment Versus Delayed Treatment

Control Condition," will be presented Friday, May 13, at the American

Occupational Therapy Association meeting in Long Beach, Calif.

Children with ADHD have difficulty paying attention and controlling

their behavior. Experts are uncertain about the exact cause of ADHD,

but believe there are both genetic and biological components.

Treatment typically consists of medication, behavior therapy or a

combination of the two.

"Many children with ADHD also suffer from sensory processing disorder,

a neurological underpinning that contributes to their ability to pay

attention or focus," explained Koenig. "They either withdraw from or

seek out sensory stimulation like movement, sound, light and touch.

This translates into troublesome behaviors at school and home."

Normally, we process and adapt to sensory stimulation in our daily

environment. But children with ADHD are unable to adjust, and instead

might be so distracted and bothered by a sound or movement in the

classroom, for instance, that they cannot pay attention to the

teacher.

All of the 88 study participants, who are clients at the OT4Kids

occupational therapy center in Crystal River, Fla., were taking

medication for ADHD. Of the 88, 63 children each underwent 40 one-hour

sensory intervention therapy sessions, while 25 did not.

Therapy techniques appeal to the three basic sensory systems: The

tactile system controls the sense of touch, the vestibular system

controls sensations of gravity and movement, and the proprioceptive

system regulates the awareness of the body in space. Therapy is

tailored to each child's needs and can involve such techniques as

lightly or deeply brushing the skin, moving on swings or working with

an exercise ball.

"We found significant improvement in sensory avoiding behaviors,

tactile sensitivity, and visual auditory sensitivity in the group that

received treatment," said Koenig.

"The children were more at ease. They could better attend to a lesson

in a noisy classroom, or more comfortably participate in family

activities," said Kinnealey. "The behavior associated with ADHD was

significantly reduced following the intervention."

The research team, which included Gail Huecker, the director of

OT4Kids, believes that sensory intervention affects the plasticity, or

adaptability, of the brain to sensory stimulation. In this study,

changes were seen within six months.

Parents can learn how to continue the techniques at home. Koenig also

observed that through this study, parents learned to view the disorder

and the behaviors through a different lens.

"It's easy for parents to look at ADHD and blame themselves or the

child for the bad behavior," said Koenig.

The goal of ADHD treatment is to prevent failure in school, family

problems and poor self-esteem. If not addressed early, the disorder

can trouble sufferers into adulthood.

In its current study, the group is working with a total of 135

children who have ADHD. Children who did not receive occupational

therapy during the study have been scheduled to receive it afterward.

[sirguessalot]

wow. thanks for posting this abi

forgive if i over-generalize...this is a complex issue...

aside from the very valid genetic and biological aspects, it seems that more and more, as kids are dealing with increasingly complex environments, their minds will naturally try and adapt to keep up, which may make them less feelingly aware of their physical body and emotional correlates.

but on the flip side, their ability to visualize complex and animate models is perhaps unprecedented in human history. i read an article about how the thumb-brain connection is rapidly developing with the advent of video games and cel phones and such. add to this, the mind-machine connections that are developing...every field of science and medicine will benefit (not to mention religions and spirituallity).

these methods of reuniting their body and mind, can work towards restoring a wholeness to their development, where body and mind, inner and outer, grow as one unit again. the curse of the "indigo children" can become a great blessing of our near future if we continue to find ways to integrate their vast thinkers with their outer world..and early on in life.

i grew up with a certain level of attention issues, which pretty much kept me from school. and it has taken me til recently to begin to reconnect body and mind in such a way that enables me to "dance", using various methods and thingys and such. but also, i was a kinda wild and barefoot varmint and able to roam the woods and wetlands and railroad tracks freely as a kid. i believe this also helped a bit to keep me from being more isolated and inward by keeping me in touch with more simple bodily interactions with the natural world (catching frogs and turtles, chasing herons and getting chased by beavers, etc..).

[shazdancer]

Wow, you guys, interesting stuff. Sirguess, you must have had an interesting childhood. Say on!

Infection can also play a role. Children who have late-stage Lyme disease (neuroborreliosis), for example, are often misdiagnosed with ODD, AD with or without hyperactivity, depression, bipolar, or other psychiatric, neurologic, or cognitive disorders. Disease can prevent people from being able to cope with everyday environmental stresses, and they become hypersensitive to light, sounds, touch, foods, or smells. Kinda like if you get a migraine headache, and want to sit in a dark, quiet room.

Regards,

Shaz

[DaddyHoundog]

Yes abbi--its finally getting out there so to speak.

The program my kids go to is based on cerebellar development. (or lack thereof) cerebellum - the place where motor coordination develops. (in a nut shell)

Dore Acheivement Centers

check out the science behind the program.

Only 2.5 years in US, but been in England for a while, with a 93% success rate.

On another note, chromosome 2, 10, and 11 have been found to affect decoding in dyslexic children....Good finding...means $$ for interevention down the road.

(Univ. of Washington,- Drs. Raskind, Wijsman, Berninger--with funding by NICHD)(in Molecular Psychiatry, March 2005)