Objective: This study examined the effect of a 12-week table tennis exercise on motor skills and executive functions in children with ADHD.
Method: Fifteen children with ADHD received the intervention, whereas 15 children with ADHD and 30 typically developing children did not. The Test of Gross Motor Development-2, Stroop, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) were conducted before and after the intervention.
Results: After the intervention, the ADHD training group scored significantly higher in the locomotor as well as object-control skills, Stroop Color-Word condition, and WCST total correct performance compared with the ADHD non-training group, and we noted improvements in the locomotor as well as object-control skills, Stroop Color-Word condition, and three aspects of the WCST performances of the ADHD training group over time.
Conclusion: A 12-week table tennis exercise may have clinical relevance in motor skills and executive functions of children with ADHD.
Keywords: ADHD; executive functions; motor skills; physical exercise.