Researchers at the University of Windsor are looking for between eight and 24 Grade 4 and 5 students diagnosed with ADHD.
Their 12-week study of non-medicated strategies to control Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder starts April 3. Participants will have to commit to two evenings a week. The study will examine the effects of meditation and mindfulness, and physical activity has on the symptoms of the neurological disorder.
Right now the most popular treatment is medications like Ritalin.
"Parents are uncomfortable about using these medications sometimes. Medications don't necessarily change behaviour; they change brain chemistry. And kids can't take them 24-hours a day," says Associate Professor of Psychology Carlin Miller.
Miller says more children are diagnosed with ADHD than in years past, but she does not think it is because more children have it. She says doctors are better at diagnosing it, and past lifestyles may have mitigated or masked symptoms.
"When I was a little person -- there were no screens during the day, children's programming didn't really happen during the day," says Miller. "Kids have different lives now than they did 30 or 40 years ago. They spend more time on screens. Schools have reduced or eliminated recess that is highly physical in nature and unstructured. They may not get the same level of physical activity kids got."
Anyone interested in taking part in the study can email Miller at cjmiller@uwindsor.ca.
