Squirm with purpose: FSU research shows fidgeting is helpful for ADHD patients

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/fsu-swp022216.php

Public Release: 22-Feb-2016
Squirm with purpose: FSU research shows fidgeting is helpful for ADHD patients
Florida State University

Teachers have long struggled to get children to sit still at their desks. But for children with ADHD, those orders might be counterproductive.

That's the research focus of Florida State University Assistant Professor of Psychology Michael Kofler, who is developing new, non-medication treatments for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). New research by Kofler at FSU's Children's Learning Clinic shows that children often fidget or move when they are trying to solve a problem, and that movement may have a positive effect on children with ADHD.

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Children with ADHD are able to retain information, which they use daily. But they often have difficulty with what's called working memory, meaning the updating or mentally rearranging of information in the mind. Previous work by Kofler and his colleagues at University of Mississippi Medical Center showed that kids with ADHD did better on working memory tests when they moved more -- suggesting that these kids may benefit cognitively from behaviors like squirming or fidgeting.

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