Effect of Bal-A-Vis-X Movement Breaks on Selective Attention and Academic Performance in Children with ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactive disorder children have a lot of trouble focusing their attention in school because of some deficits in their frontoparietal part of brain. The purpose of this study was to determine how much Bal-A-Vis-X (Balance/Auditory/Vision exercise program) movement breaks can help these children with these two areas: focusing attention and improving academic performance. The design used was a true experimental study with pretest and posttest control group design. Fifty children between ages 9 and 12 who screened positive for ADHD (using a Vanderbilt ADHD diagnostic rating scale administered by trained professionals) were included in the study. The children were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (n = 25) or the control group (n = 25). The experimental group members received Bal-A-Vis-X movement breaks as part of their intervention, and the control group received conventional occupational therapy. The interventions were implemented three days per week for 24 weeks. Selective attention was assessed using the d2 Test of Attention, and academic performance was assessed using the Academic Performance Rating Scale (APRS). While both groups showed statistically significant increases (p < 0.01) after completing the interventions compared to baseline, the experimental group demonstrated even greater improvements in Selective Attention (SA), Concentration Performance (CP), and APRS scores than did the control group. Based on these findings, Bal-A-Vis-X movement breaks appear to be an effective school-based strategy to improve both selective attention and academic performance in children diagnosed with ADHD.