White Noise Helps with Concentration in ADD/ADHD

By Dr. Kenny Handelman

As a child psychiatrist, I know that most teens with ADD or ADHD do their best school work while listening to their music.

I often have to convince parents and teachers to allow their ADD/ADHD kids and students the privelage of listening to music while they work.

Now, there is a study which has proven that this is the case. Well, it has actually proven that ‘white noise ‘ in the background can increase the concentration for people with ADD or ADHD.

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White Noise - Behavior modification tool                     

By Isabel Rodrigues

White Noise is not actually "noise" it is a random signal with a flat power spectral. It is a sound frequency or a signal that one hears as a gentle hiss, similar to the sound of wind rustling through trees, a waterfall, radio static or the ocean turf. It is purely a theoretical construct. To use a simple analogy, the color white contains the whole spectrum of colors of light. Similarly white noise is created by using the entire spectrum of frequencies, the human ear can hear.

White Noise can help a person relax or work as a sleep aid. Life is full of disruptive sounds and noises, such as honking of cars, barking of dogs, noisy neighbors, annoying snoring and screaming sirens. White noise does not add to the clamor of noise instead white noise contains equal frequencies of all sounds. Research has shown that a steady, monotonous stream of the same peaceful sound, such as white noise, can filter and mask distracting noises. This gentle continuous sound promotes a calm mood to help you relax and/or fall asleep.

The benefit of white noise for anyone is that it can help lessen the noisy distractions of one's physical environment. That's why it's used to help people relax, sleep, and concentrate better. Different sights and sounds within their surroundings more easily distract individuals with ADD/ADHD, hyperactivity, impulsiveness and other similar disabilities. By masking or canceling out extraneous sounds, white noise can be a very effective part of an overall program to promote greater focus, concentration, and productivity, as well as improved interpersonal behavior.

White noise is often recommended as a behavior modification tool, to help manage your pets' behavior, especially to relax them. Many dog owners play white noise as an anti-bark control to stop their dogs from incessant barking at loud noises or if they're suffering from separation anxiety or fear. White noise also helps comforts your scared or nervous pet, especially if it's experiencing some form of pet phobia.

And, pets love to fall asleep to white noise, just like humans!

White noise can be obtained in different formats such as ocean waves and the wind. Of course, these are not the real ocean waves and wind but pure white noise in the soothing rhythmic pattern of waves or the dynamic intensity of the wind.

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Teachers Use White Noise to Assist ADHD Students

By Christine Cadena - October 23, 2009

Educational Implications

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD, typically experience complications with focus and attention in the classroom but that lack of focus and attention is often due to impulsivity and not,  necessarily, attributed to general attention deficits. If you are a teacher in grade school or middle school, and you have students that seem distracted and quite impulsive, this may be a sign of ADHD and using white noise in the classroom may provide a benefit.

The sounds of fans in the classroom can provide a relaxing and inviting environment to students, especially those that live with ADHD. By using white noise, you are providing a soothing and consistent sound that is often used in the home and even to help individuals sleep. White noise is the term given to any sound that is soothing, at a low-level, and stimulations relaxation. For students with ADHD, white noise may provide the one additional benefit needed to boost performance in the classroom.

Children with ADD, Attention Deficit Disorder, may be adversely affected by white noise as it may be too calming and make the student feel sleepy while in class. But, if your classroom is not filled with students with ADD, and you seem to notice the more impulsive behavior of ADHD in the classroom, try white noise for a few days and see how your students respond.

On a teacher's salary, finding supplies for the classroom can be challenging but white noise is one of those classroom support projects that can be created rather easily. Using a small oscillating fan, set at low levels, students with ADHD can benefit from white noise without impacting your own personal budget as a teacher. While the school may not support the purchase of the fan for white noise in the classroom, if you find the white noise does not help your student performance, you can always take the fan home for your own personal use.

Educational Implications

ADHD is a complex childhood disorder that affects millions of students each year. While parents struggle to find balance in the symptoms of ADHD, teachers often struggle equally as hard as they work through the academic  success of the student while also trying to manage the ADHD symptoms. If you find that your class has one or two students that may be struggling with ADHD symptoms, try creating an environment where white noise is available and you may find this improves your students' performance.

Sources: Educating Special Needs Children, Summer, 2007.

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