For children with attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD), music therapy bolsters attention and focus, reduces hyperactivity, and strengthens social skills.
For studying or brain-intensive tasks, some people find specific types of music help increase their ability to focus or concentrate. And research indicates that this may also hold true for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Individuals with ADHD are easily distracted by external noise; research shows that repetitive music and sounds have been found to block other random noises and lead to better attention on tasks. Background music also increases focus by decreasing mind-wandering.
Music improves attention and focus.
One study found that children who studied a musical instrument showed better auditory connectivity in the brain, which is often diminished in ADHD brains. Music lessons also increase your child's ability to work in a noisy environment, which is useful for coping with distractions.
What is Hypersensitivity? Hypersensitivity is having extreme sensitivity to physical senses such as sound, touch, or smell. It is also associated with being easily overwhelmed by a lot of information. Hypersensitivity is a common trait in individuals with ADHD.
Excessive talking is a common symptom for kids with ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), who often have trouble inhibiting and controlling their responses. 1 They may blurt out whatever first comes to mind, whether appropriate or not, without thinking through how their words may be received.
These may include hyperfocus, resilience, creativity, conversational skills, spontaneity, and abundant energy. Many people view these benefits as “superpowers” because those with ADHD can hone them to their advantage. People with ADHD have a unique perspective that others may find interesting and valuable.
White noise has positive effects on ADHD and cognitive performance.
But it appears brown noise is considered the most beneficial for people with ADHD because it stimulates the part of the brain that is hypo-aroused. This allows people with ADHD to pay more attention, find a state of relaxation, and calm the hyperactivity they experience.
Research shows that people with ADHD (among others) report higher frequencies of boredom. Contrary to what your ten-year-old says, boredom won't kill you, but it can gnaw away at your life satisfaction and can also lead to other problematic behaviors and situations.
When a person has ADHD, it is common for her to engage in negative “self-talk,” a constant stream of thinking that is self-critical. This can lead to or aggravate depression, anxiety, or feelings of hopelessness. Learning coping strategies like self-compassion can help to more effectively manage thoughts and emotions.
Brown noise is a low-frequency background sound that helps people with ADHD focus and feel calm.
ADHD affects executive functioning, attention, and impulse control . This may make it more difficult for people to process sensory input, including sounds. It may be difficult or impossible for a person with ADHD to interpret sounds or distinguish one sound from another, particularly in distracting environments.
People with ADHD often exhibit such behaviors as blurting out answers, interrupting, oversharing, and speaking at too high a volume.
Executive functions have other roles which affect how someone thinks. In people with ADHD, these executive dysfunctions impact thinking in numerous ways. People with ADHD don't really think faster than people without it, but it can sometimes seem like they do.
The five gifts of ADHD include creativity, emotional sensitivity, exuberance, interpersonal empathy, and being nature-smart (The Gift of Adult ADD, 2008).
Channing Tatum is one of the most widely recognized celebrities. He also happens to be an actor who has publicly shared his struggles with ADHD during his childhood and how his struggles at school affected him. In fact, he continues to work through related difficulties as an adult.
Sensitive to Rejection. People with ADHD are exquisitely sensitive to rejection and criticism. They can experience hopelessness and demoralization because they try to succeed by imitating the paths to success of people without ADHD, and then fail over and over again because the same paths don't work for them.
Some research suggests that people with ADHD are especially sensitive to sounds. This sensitivity, combined with impulsivity, may lead to echolalia. Difficulty processing language and following conversations could also lead individuals with ADHD to repeat phrases they hear.
Pragmatics and ADHD
Blurting out answers, interrupting, talking excessively and speaking too loudly all break common communication standards, for example. People with ADHD also often make tangential comments in conversation, or struggle to organize their thoughts on the fly.
Some of the common foods that can cause ADHD reactions include milk, chocolate, soy, wheat, eggs, beans, corn, tomatoes, grapes, and oranges. If you suspect a food sensitivity may be contributing to your child's ADHD symptoms, talk to your ADHD dietitian or doctor about trying an elimination diet.