ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) -
The results of a newly-released study by researchers at the University of Central Florida suggest that children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, learn better if they're allowed to squirm around a little bit.

Mark Rapport, a professor of clinical psychology and the director of the Children's Learning Center at UCF, co-authored the study that was published in an early online release of the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology.

Over a six-year period, Rapport and his team observed 52 boys between the ages of 8 and 12.  About half had been diagnosed with ADHD.  The rest had no clinical disorders and showed normal development.  

The researchers found that when the boys with ADHD tapped their feet, moved their legs or otherwise squirmed in their chairs they performed better on cognitive tests.

“They're moving more because they need that extra arousal in order to function to complete the cognitive activities,” Rapport explained.

Conversely, the typically developing children performed better when they sat still.  

“When they move excessively, it interferes with their cognitive abilities,” Rapport reported.

The researchers concluded that the majority of kids with ADHD would perform better on school work and other classroom tasks if they're given the ability to move around a little bit by, for example, sitting on excises balls or stationary bikes.

“I'm not advocating that we let the children run around and be disruptive,” Rapport said.

But the study does suggest that encouraging kids with ADHD to sit still and concentrate may not be best.

“In past years many of the treatments for ADHD targeted excessive motor movement and asked for reductions so they provide incentives or reinforcers for not moving as much.  What our findings indicate is maybe that's not such a good idea,” Rapport said.