An Ascending Music Stimulus Program and Hyperactive Children

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between an ascending music stimulus program and hyperactive children. Thirteen males, ages five to eight years, in public school assessed as hyperactive by their teachers using the Conners's Teaching Rating Scale, were rated on activity prior to, during, and after the test period, using the Motor Activity Rating Scale (MARS). It was hypothesized that they would become less active during, rather than before or after, the ascending music stimulus. Analysis of variance revealed a statistically significant increase in activity during the music program, thus rejecting the hypothesis. AnAscending Music Stimulus Program and Hyperactive Children The hyperactive child has received intensified attention in the past 20 to 30 years. Current estimates of prevalence among children in the United States range from 3 to 40%, affecting boys predominately (Schrag & Divorky, 1975). Hyperactivity is frequently one component in a more involved syndrome (Burke, 1960; Clements, 1973; Feingold, 1976; Laufer, Denhoff, & Solomons, 1957;Wender, 1971;and Zentall, 1975). A whole grouping of behaviors accompanies hyperactivity in children and collectively implies pathology or a deviation from the norm. A prominent characteristic associated with hyperactive children is difficulty with school work (Rutter, Tizard, & Whitmore, 1970). About one third have a prominent learning impairment and another 40 to 50% have a notable academic lag (Kappelman, 1975). Their rate of nonpromotion is two to three times higher than their peers (Minde, Lewin, Weiss, Laviquer, Douglas, & Sykes, 1971). The exact mechanism of their learning difficulty is unknown, but probably has two sources. The first is the hyperactivity and the associated disorders of attention. The second is related to perceptual cognitive deficit in informa-