White noise may improve learning and memory in children with ADD

By Staff Writer

According to a new study published in the journal Behavioral and Brain Functions, playing white noise in the classroom can help inattentive children - such as those with attention deficit disorder (ADD) - learn and remember better.

Researchers from Stockholm University in Sweden tested the effect of meaningless, random noise on a group of 51 schoolchildren at a Norwegian secondary school.

They asked the students to remember as many items as possible from a list that was read aloud by the teacher. The kids completed this challenge in the presence and the absence of white noise, and the results were compared to assess the impact of this environmental factor on their memory.

"There was significant improvement in performance for the children rated as inattentive by their teachers, and a significant decline in performance for those rated as attentive as noise levels were increased," the researchers said.

They added that this finding may have practical applications that offer non-invasive and non-pharmacological help to improve the academic performance of children who have attentional problems.

This study is the first to link noise and resonance to higher cognitive functions, such as attention in young children.