Effects of bike desks on students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

Introduction. The specialized bibliography agrees that moderate physical activity has benefits on task concentration and cognitive control of people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Objectives. To evaluate the impact of installing pedalboards in the classroom on academic performance and attention span (sustained and selective) of students diagnosed with ADHD. Methods. Descriptive, cross-sectional and prospective study using an intervention developed over 14 weeks with a sample of 13 students aged 11 to 14 years. Measurements were taken in the pre- and post-intervention phase (ADHD-RS-V, d2 Test of Attention, Trail Making Test, Conner's Teacher Rating Scale) and a classroom observation protocol was followed. Results. The results that measured attention capacity (TMT, d2) in pre- and post-intervention phases, intra and inter groups, were compared using Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon tests, without obtaining statistical significance. Nor in academic results. Conclusion. The present study has been a pioneer in investigating the effect that moderate and spontaneous physical activity has on parts of the executive function (EF) affected by ADHD in the real classroom environment.