Researchers continue to surprise the medical world with their inventive ADHD natural treatments, especially for school-age children.
A fascinating study in the October 1998 issue of the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology shows that the attention problems caused by ADHD can be treated through the use of mirrors.
Before this study was published, previous research suggested that ADHD symptoms can be regulated using self-control methods, such as giving rewards.
However, many of these attempts have failed due to factors like ineffective rewards or lack of motivation.
What behavioral psychologists observed is that children with ADHD are very responsive to external stimuli, regardless of whether they are good or bad.
This means that kids with ADHD tend to have improved behavior if they see the impact of their action from another person's point of view.
This is where the mirror comes in.
Basic behavioral psychology shows that children who see themselves through a mirror are less likely to misbehave and more likely to regulate their behaviors, because seeing their reflection jars their sense of self-awareness.
In other words, a mirror gives the child the illusion that he or she is being observed by a third person, which encourages better behavior.
The researchers discovered that making ADHD children more self-aware with a mirror causes a heightened level of stimulation, which increases their attention span and improves their cognitive abilities During the experiment, children with and without ADHD were asked to solve a difficult word-finding puzzle.
Both groups of children were divided into two groups - one worked in front of a mirror while the other did not.
The researchers observed that ADHD children who worked in front of the mirror were able to find more words.
Those without ADHD seemed to be unaffected by the mirror; some of them even had decreased levels of performance.
The researchers also watched the reactions of children who looked up at the mirror, and noted that the ADHD kids seemed to have improved performance after glancing at the mirror.
Conversely, ADHD kids who did not look at the mirror had lower performances than those who did glance at their reflections.
The researchers suggest that placing large mirrors in a classroom or library may improve academic performance and accuracy in children.
You can also try the experiment for yourself.
Place a large mirror on the desk where your child usually does homework, and see if your child's reflection triggers a longer attention span and better concentration.