The Effects of White Noise on Attentional Performance and On-Task Behaviors in Preschoolers with ADHD - PubMed
Source : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36430109/
Several models have tentatively associated improving attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms with arousal and external environmental stimulation. In order to further clarify the relationships between ADHD symptoms, arousal, and external stimulation, this study focused on exploring the "simultaneous" effects of white noise on intrinsic attentional performance and extrinsic on-task behaviors in preschoolers with and without ADHD.
Conclusions/Relevance: The findings of this study highlighted that white noise stimulation is a beneficial non-pharmacological treatment for preschoolers with ADHD. In contrast, for TD preschoolers, the results of this study showed that the external white noise stimuli were not only unhelpful but also a burden.
• Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Conclusions: “The findings of this study highlighted that white noise stimulation is a beneficial non-pharmacological treatment for preschoolers with ADHD. In contrast, for TD [typically developing] preschoolers, the results of this study showed that the external white noise stimuli were not only unhelpful but also a burden.”
• A Taiwanese researcher assessed the effects of white noise on intrinsic attentional performance and extrinsic on-task behaviors in 52 children with ADHD and 52 TD children.
• “This study showed that white noise could effectively improve attention performance, including enhancing the ability to differentiate non-targets from targets and decreasing omission errors. It could also reduce the extrinsic hyperactive behaviors of preschoolers with ADHD,” the authors wrote. “The findings of this study highlighted that white noise stimulation is a beneficial non-pharmacological treatment for preschoolers with ADHD.”
• One limitation is that the investigator recruited only patients from clinical settings, which could reduce the extrapolation of the results to other populations. Another limitation is that this study included only children aged between 4 and 6 years. Furthermore, only one type of external sound was used as stimulation in the current study.
• “Certain types of music may also positively affect ADHD patients,” the author wrote. “For example, recent studies confirmed that listening to calm or classical music could decrease negative mood and improve reading comprehension in the ADHD group. In the future, different types of sound stimulation (e.g., classical music) should be compared with white noise to find the most appropriate and harmless non-pharmacological treatment for individuals with ADHD.”