The effect of music and dance on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Abstract

With the growing awareness and incidence of ADHD as well the absence of a newlinesatisfactory therapy, research in alternative therapeutic interventions for newlineADHD is the need of the hour. The present study was a step in this direction. newlineAn attempt was made to study two such alternative therapies, namely Dance newlineand Music to reduce ADHD symptoms as measured by The ADHD Rating newlineScale- IV by DuPaul (1998). The teachers and parents of 90 boys aged 10 to newline12 years studying in class V to VII completed DuPaul s ADHD Rating Scale- newlineIV. This helped identify the boys who were then, randomly divided into a newlineDance intervention group (N = 30), a Music intervention group (N= 30) and a newlineComparison group (N = 30). The intervention groups received 30 sessions of newline40 minutes each of Dance and Music intervention respectively over a period newlineof approximately six weeks. The subscales of the Rating Scale were selected newlineas parameters of ADHD symptoms and were taken at the pretest as well as newlineafter the intervention. Analysis of Covariance, holding the pretest as newlinecovariates revealed that the Post Dance intervention scores were significantly newlinelower than the Comparison group on the Inattention- Teachers ratings (F (1, newline58) = 26.47, plt .01), Hyperactivity-Impulsivity- Teachers rating (F (1, 58) = newline11.00, plt .01), Combined- Teachers rating (F (1, 58) = 22.48, plt .01), newlineInattention- Parent s Rating (F (1, 58) = 26.53, p lt .01), Hyperactivity- newlineImpulsivity Parent s Rating (F (1, 58) = 20.28, p lt .01) and Combined newlineParent s Rating (F (1, 58) = 30.50, p lt .01).