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Study: DDR Helps Kids with ADHD

Edge Staff's picture

By Edge Staff

July 8, 2005

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According to a new study, videogames, DDR in particular, have had a significant impact on reading comprehension in kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

As reported by ABC News, a new study was presented at the Digital Games Research Association conference in Vancouver yesterday.

“We're still in the beginning stages," Tammy McGraw, lead author of the study, told ABC News. "But if we can demonstrate that video games help, we can find solutions that do not require us to medicate children as much."

The test subjects consist of 62 sixth graders that suffer from ADHD. These students were given reading comprehension exams at the start of the study. Half of the students was then instructed to play DDR (the Disney version, for sensitivity issues) for one hour a week; the other half kept its normal routines.

After three months of this "treatment", both groups were asked to retake the tests. Although scores were similar for both groups, the DDR sample scored significantly better in receptive coding skills, which relies on the fast recall of words or number sets.