Study: White noise may help children with ADHD concentrate

By Staff Writer

A recent study reveals that white noise may help children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) focus on school work.

According to MedPageToday.com, researchers found that kids with ADHD are better at performing tasks when there is white noise such as a vacuum cleaner in the background. In some cases, the results were as effective as a child taking medication, the study shows.

This evidence may prove helpful to parents who are wary of their kids undergoing chemical treatment. Researchers are attempting to figure out ways to test this theory in classrooms without distracting children who do not have behavioral disorders. One possibility is to have the kids with ADHD wear headphones with white noise while they are working.

Stochastic resonance occurs when an individual's behavior changes when noise enters the person's system. The study of children with ADHD hints that some inattentive people require more external noise for proper cognitive function.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that diagnosis of ADHD increased by an average of 3 percent per year from 1997 to 2006.