Abstract
The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the possible differences of the physical fitness performance of elementary-aged students with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Little research has been produced in the area of youth with ADHD and motor development; this research paper further investigates the effects of ADHD and motor development within elementary-aged students. The participants included 51 elementary-aged students between ages 7 and 10. These participants included eight with ADHD (three females, five males; age, M = 7.75) and 43 without ADHD (21 females, 22 males; age, M = 8.23). They received measures on seven test items selected from The President’s Challenge physical fitness program, including curl-up, push-up, pull-up, flexed-arm hang, sit and reach, endurance run, and shuttle run. A simple multivariable analysis (MANOVA) and one variable analysis (ANOVA) were used to analyze the differences between students with and without ADHD. Results showed little difference between the two groups. Follow-up tests again showed little variance, even when compared against gender and age. These findings revealed that young adults with ADHD are on par and/or show performance similar to their peers on fitness performance assessments.
