Effects of animation therapy on attention and impulsivity levels of children with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder

Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most frequent disorder seen in childhood. It is characterized with three main symptom: inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity. This study is planned to investigate the effects of animation therapy on the sypmtoms of ADHD. 48 children between age of 6-12, diagnosed by a psychiatrist, on medication for ADHD and receiving therapy from Hacettepe University Occupationa Therapy Department and Special Education and Rehabilitation Centers in Ankara were included. After a simple randomization process, childrens were seperated into two 24-children groups as study and control. Study group received animation therapy for 10 weeks, 1 session per week, in addition to their routine medical and special educaiton treatment. Control group continued their routine medical treatment and special education. Conners Parents Rating Scale Revised, Conners Teacher Rating Scale Revised, The Scales for Diagnosing ADHD-Home and The Scales for Diagnosing ADHD-School formsa re used to measure the symptom levels of children. Statistically significant decrease was seen on the symptoms of ADHD for both groups after the therapy process (p<0,01). Sypmtom levels decrease in study group after 10 week animaton therapy were significantly more than control group (p<0,05).For further researches it is recommended that further studies have to assess the effects of animation therapy on unmedicated children to observe isolated effects of animation therapy, and beside the symptoms, quality of life and skills in different areas like social, academic and family areas must be assessed.