Exercise Benefits for ADHD
Description
How can exercise positively impact ADHD symptoms in children?
In this episode of the All Aboard ADHD Podcast, Claire meets with Dr Shu-Shih (Stone) Hsieh to discuss ADHD and exercise. Dr Stone is a senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Kingston University. Stone's ActiGamer research at BREAD Lab focuses on the effects of exercise on cognition and ADHD symptoms in school aged-children.
Dr Stone Hseih kicks off with some insights into the many wide-ranging benefits of exercise for children with ADHD, including improvements in connection, attention and multitasking, alongside a reduction anxiety, stress and depressive symptoms. He and Claire also discuss the brain mechanisms involved in the positive effects of exercise and the differences between traditional forms of exercise vs multi-component exercise. Due to constant changes in the environment, multi-component exercise - such as such as football, tennis or basketball - can be more beneficial for children with ADHD, due to the compound effects on fitness, attention, and multitasking.
To ensure they consistently engage and experience the longer-term benefits, Dr Stone highlights the importance of diversifying exercise choices for children with ADHD and ensuring they find activities they enjoy. He also shares some fascinating results from studies into ADHD and exercise, for example using an EEG to study brain activity during and after exercise in children with ADHD. His aim is to understand whether exercise could be offered as a complementary treatment strategy for children with ADHD. Finally Dr Stone introduces the exciting new potential of "exergaming", which combines video games with physical activity, showing promising results in improving attention and fitness.
To find out more about Dr Stone and his work, head to:
Kingston University - Dr Stone Hsieh
Dr Stone also has an ongoing study on the effects of physical activity and EEG on Executive Function children with ADHD. If you’re interested in participating, you can sign up here