Sensory white noise in clinical ADHD: Who benefits from noise, and who performs worse?
Göran B W Söderlund1,2, Nouchine Hadjikhani3,4, Max Thorsson3
1Faculty of Teacher Education Arts and Sports, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Sogndal, Norway.
Insights
White noise may benefit some children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but not all. Individual differences in ADHD symptoms, like inattentive versus hyperactive traits, influence noise response.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Auditory white noise shows promise for improving cognitive function in children with attention difficulties.
- Individual variability in noise response among children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is understudied.
- The impact of visual white noise on children with ADHD has not been previously investigated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of both visual and auditory white noise on cognitive performance in children diagnosed with ADHD.
- To explore individual differences in response to white noise among children with ADHD.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 43 children diagnosed with ADHD completed a visuo-spatial working memory task.
- Cognitive performance was assessed under conditions of experimentally controlled auditory and visual white noise.
- Symptomatic and demographic data were collected to analyze potential moderating factors.
Main Results:
- No significant overall effect of white noise on cognitive performance was observed in the full sample of children with ADHD.
- Subgroup analysis revealed differential responses: children with more inattentive traits showed improved performance with noise, while those with more hyperactive/impulsive traits performed worse.
- A strong correlation was found between individual responses to auditory and visual white noise.
Conclusions:
- Individual differences in response to noise exposure are critical when considering its application for children with ADHD.
- The specific symptom profile of ADHD (inattentive versus hyperactive/impulsive) should be considered when using noise interventions to support cognitive performance.
Background:
Experimental research has shown the benefits of auditory white noise on cognitive performance in children with attention problems. However, little is currently known about individual differences in noise response amongst children with a clinical diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In addition, no research has so far tested the effects of visual white noise on children with ADHD.
Objectives:
The present work aimed at testing the effect of visual and auditory white noise on cognitive performance in children diagnosed with ADHD.
Method:
Forty-three children with ADHD diagnosis performed a visuo-spatial working memory test with experimentally controlled auditory and visual white noise. Symptomatic and demographic data were collected.
Results:
Surprisingly, results did not show significant effects of noise across the full sample of ADHD children. However, responses to noise appeared to affect subgroups of ADHD children differently: Those with relatively more inattentive traits responded positively on noise exposure whereas those with relatively more hyperactive/impulsive traits performed worse during noise exposure. Individual differences in noise response in the auditory and visual modalities were strongly correlated.
Conclusions:
It is important to consider individual differences in response to noise exposure, and to take into account the specific ADHD symptom profile (inattentive vs. hyperactive/impulsive) in applying noise to support cognitive performance in children with ADHD.
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