Tantillo, M., Kesick, C. M., Hynd, G. W., & Dishman, R. K. (2002). The effects of exercise on children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 34(2), 203-212.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise on children ages 8 to 12 years with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in the areas of spontaneous eye blinks, acoustic startle eye blink response, and motor impersistence.

The level of change observed in the various outcome measures points to an increased spontaneous blink rate, decreased acoustic startle eye blink response, and decreased motor impersistence after maximal exercise in boys with ADHD. Girls with ADHD showed increases in amplitude and decreases in latency of acoustic startle eye blink response after submaximal exercise. The variance observed in this study suggests that changes in the observed areas are not due to physical fitness, activity history, or personality. While changes in some outcome measures were observed, the meaning behind these changes remains unclear.

Read the entire abstract at http://www.ncpad.org/134/1063/The~effects~of~exercise~on~children~with~attention-deficit~hyperactivity~disorder~