Yoga, Attention, and ADHD

in the School Setting

By Breanna Dickson

PICO QUESTION
Does yoga reduce the amount of verbal cueing needed

to redirect attention during therapy sessions in

children with ADHD?

Background Information
Yoga is considered a form of complementary and

alternative medicine (CAM).

CAM use has grown increasingly popular; approx. 12%
of children reported using some form of CAM in 2007.
Many parents have expressed interested in exploring

alternatives to medication to help their children and

may seek CAM therapies to complement traditional
care.

Common reasons for use of CAM among children

include anxiety, attention-deficit hyperactivity

disorder (ADHD), and insomnia (Barnes, 2008).

Literature Review
Galantino, Galbavy, Quinn (2008)
Systematic review on the effect of yoga on quality of
life and physical outcome measures in the pediatric
population
In terms of increasing attention in the ADHD
population, yoga remains an investigational treatment
Evaluated 3 articles
Data did not provide strong support for the use of yoga

for ADHD
Further large scale studies are needed

Literature Review
Jensen & Kenny (2004)
Randomized control trial to evaluate the effect of yoga
on attention and behavior in boys diagnosed with
ADHD who are stabilized on medication
19 boys randomized to either a 20-session yoga group or

a cooperative activities control group

Both groups showed improvements in different areas on
the Conners Parent Rating Scales

Yoga group: oppositional behavior, emotional lability,

restlessness/impulsiveness
Control group: hyperactivity, anxiety, social problems

Methodology
Pretest-Posttest design
4 boys, ages 5-10 years
Inclusion criteria
Currently attending school (not homebound)
Receive weekly, direct OT services
Have a special education eligibility of Specific Learning
Disability, Health Impairment or a diagnosis of
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Methodology Cont.
Pretest: The number of verbal cues required to

redirect attention throughout a typical OT session

were collected for each participant via tally mark by
their initials on a data sheet
Test: Each participant completed 5 minutes of yoga in
the beginning of each treatment session facilitated
through the C-Fit Yoga app on the iPhone for a total
of 6 sessions
Posttest: The number of verbal cues was collected
again after completion of the 6 sessions

Data

Results
Each participant had a decrease in the amount of

verbal cueing required to redirect attention to the

task at hand
Average decrease of 4 cues from beginning to last trial
No adverse effects
Occasional Ugh, not yoga again!

Limitations
As therapeutic rapport increased, so did the childrens

understanding of expectations
Yoga was not the sole intervention (ex: incorporated
token boards, decreased gross motor activities, etc.)
Some children had more buy in to yoga than others
Played the videos on iPhone
A larger screen such as an iPad or Smart Board could

have yielded better results

Conclusion
Use of yoga to increase attention during treatment

sessions should be up to the discretion of the

therapist
Important that the child have an interest in yoga in
order to get the most out of the intervention

References
Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin RL. (2008). Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and
children: United States, 2007. CDC National Health Statistics Report #12. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.
gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr012.pdf
Galantino, M. L., Galbavy, R., & Quinn, L. (2008). Therapeutic effects of yoga for children: a systematic review
of the literature. Pediatric Physical Therapy,20(1), 66-80. doi: 10.1097/PEP.0b013e31815f1208
Jensen, P. S., & Kenny, D. T. (2004). The effects of yoga on the attention and behavior of boys with attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Journal of Attention Disorders, 7(4), 205-216. doi: 10.1177
/108705470400700403