ERIC Number: EJ1283372
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2158-2440
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Effectiveness of a Manual Therapy Program as Adjuvant Treatment for School-Age Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Pilot Study
Bayo-Tallón, Vanessa; Esquirol-Caussa, Jordi; Pàmias-Massana, Montserrat; Planells-Keller, Kalia; Cascos-Rodríguez, Ana; Palao-Vidal, Diego J.
SAGE Open, v10 n4 Oct-Dec 2020
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder. Common symptoms are inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and executive functions deficit, often with comorbidities. Main treatment involves pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies (cognitive-behavioral therapy, psycho-pedagogical programs). Emerging non-pharmacological treatments include manual therapies (MTs) in mental health. Several MT techniques have shown effectiveness in ADHD. The objectives of this study are as follows: (1) to assess short-term effects and persistence of an MT program on neuropsychological (hyperactivity index through the Conners' Global Index [CGI]) and neurophysiological (time-frequency domain parameters of heart rate variability [HRV]) variables in ADHD children; and (2) to test the feasibility of the design. This study was approved by the Parc Tauli Corporation Clinical Research Ethics Board (#2017311). Pilot, controlled, multidisciplinary study of eight children with ADHD randomly assigned to control group (CG; n = 4) and intervention group (IG; n = 4). Both followed multimodal treatment, and IG also received an MT program per week for 4 weeks. A physiotherapist and a psychologist analyzed short-term effects (1-week post-program) and persistence (36 weeks). Eight children (boys, 62.5%; girls, 37.5%) with an average age of 10.375 ± 0.74 years were included. Baseline HRV parameters showed basal sympathetic predominance. The MT program increased the parasympathetic activity, which was significantly maintained at 1 to 36 weeks; there were no changes in CG. One-week post-program IG showed significant CGI reduction (-7 points, p = 0.016*), CG without changes (p = 0.41), with significant differences CG - IG (p = 0.0097*), and very large effect size (d = 2.235); 36 weeks post-program showed no effects (IG, p = 0.293; CG, p = 0.247), without differences CG - IG (p = 0.369). The MT program reduced the hyperactivity index with a 1-week persistence and increased the parasympathetic activity with a 36-week persistence. More investigations are needed to generalize the outcomes. Additional research is planned to further explore the possibilities of MT in psychiatric disorders with autonomic imbalances.
Descriptors: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Students with Disabilities, Intervention, Drug Therapy, Therapy, Outcomes of Treatment, Neuropsychology, Children, Preadolescents, Symptoms (Individual Disorders), Effect Size, Program Effectiveness, Foreign Countries, Physical Therapy, Physiology, Behavior Modification
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Spain
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A