Demanding tasks like school and homework triggers fidgeting, foot-tapping and chair-swiveling in kids with ADHD. When kids with ADHD are accessing their brain’s executive functions they need to move. In a study of a math video where a child with ADHD swiveled in their chairs and tapped their feet, but when watching the Star Wars clip they were almost motionless.
Have you noticed that your child’s symptoms seem more prominent when still?
“Star Wars” has an appeal to students with ADHD.
It depends on the cognitive demands of the task. With the Star Wars clip they didn’t have to think, but with the math video, they had to use their thinking and memory. When kids are working on tasks that require working memory parents and teachers should not label them as unmotivated.
It turns out that symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder such as fidgeting, foot-tapping, and chair-swiveling are triggered by cognitively demanding tasks – like school and homework.
Laura Lurns · Learning Success expert
Key takeaways
- School and homework can make kids with ADHD fidget, foot-tap, and chair swivel.
- When kids with ADHD are accessing their brain’s executive functions they need to move to help them maintain alertness.
- When kids with ADHD are working on tasks that require working memory parents and teachers shouldn’t label them as slackers.
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