Effects of an Aquatic Exercise Program on Inhibitory Control in Children with ADHD: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine whether an aquatic exercise intervention that involves both aerobic and coordinative exercises influences restraint inhibition in children with ADHD. Thirty participants were assigned to either an aquatic exercise or a wait-list control group. Participants were assessed by Go/Nogo Task and motor ability prior to and after an 8-week exercise intervention (twice per week, 90 min per session) or a control intervention. Significant improvements in accuracy associated with the Nogo stimulus and the coordination of motor skills were observed over time in the exercise group compared with the control group. Only main effects of group were found for reaction time and accuracy associated with the Go stimulus. These findings suggest that an exercise program that involves both quantitative and qualitative exercise characteristics facilitates the restraint inhibition component of behavioral inhibition in children with ADHD.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Exercise for ADHD and Disruptive Behavior Disorders

“…Two students withdrew from the physical activity group in the program's first week, while two others were expelled from the attention control group and one from the physical activity group for repeated serious infractions (e.g., cursing, hitting, throwing furniture) over the course of the program. Previous studies of physical activity for children with ADHD have reported retention rates between 86% and 90% (7, 8, 21), which is in line with the rate observed in the current study. Few after-school alternatives were available in the participating neighborhood, however, roughly 1 in 5 children enrolled in other after-school programs on one or two days per week.…”

“…That said, longitudinal studies conducted with children with ADHD and DBD often demonstrate trajectories of escalating problem severity with regard to inattention, conduct, and oppositional defiance when untreated (2, 4) and quasi-experimental studies in ADHD have shown little to no improvement in no-intervention control groups on cognitive and behavioral symptom outcomes in children (7, 55). Both groups received daily homework support, which may have been responsible for a portion of program benefits.…”

“…A promising but methodologically weak literature specific to ADHD and physical activity has emerged in recent years dominated by acute bout studies (16, 34, 39, 40, 49) and single group (19, 47) and non-randomized trials (7, 33, 55) of regular physical activity. This literature provides preliminary evidence of a transient impact of acute physical activity on cognition, and associations between regular physical activity and cognition in children with ADHD.…”

Dropout from physical activity interventions in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Overall, 8 unique studies (Bustamante, et al, 2016;Chang, Hung, Huang, Hatfield, & Hung, 2014;Choi, Han, Kang, Jung, & Renshaw, 2015;Janssen, et al, 2016;Jensen & Kenny, 2004;Kang, Choi, Kang, & Han, 2011;Lee, Lee, & Park, 2015;Meßler, Holmberg, & Sperlich, 2016) were included in the meta-analysis. One study included two physical activity arms.…”

Cognitively and physically demanding exergaming to improve executive functions of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a randomised clinical trial

“…The few existing intervention studies mostly reveal positive effects on cognitive performance [35–41], whereby multimodal treatment methods in particular are attributed with a greater efficacy and broader transfer effects (also to health and well-being). In this context, qualitative characteristics of the physical activity, such as adaptiveness to the individual performance level and cognitive demands, are attributed with playing a central role [42].…”