Exercise as an Intervention for Individuals With Attention Problems

Individuals with attention problems often exhibit more off-task behaviors and less engagement in classroom settings, and exercising has demonstrated positive effects in decreasing disruptive behaviors and increasing on-task behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of physical activity on academic engaged time for individuals with attention problems in a classroom setting. Results indicate that the average percentage of on-task behaviors were higher on days of exercise compared to days without exercise, though visual inspection of the data suggests physical activity has no effect on on-task behavior.