There is considerable evidence that organisms can moderate incoming sensory stimulation so as to more closely approach optimal levels of arousal. When normal individuals are exposed to unusually high or low sensory input they tend to show "disordered" behavior similar to that of certain chronically disordered populations, for example, hyperactive and autistic children. It is proposed that at least some of the deviant behavior displayed by such disordered children represents a functional set of homeostatic responses to conditions of abnormal sensory input. Attempts to correct chronic imbalances in arousal through antecedent manipulations of chemical and sensory stimulation have been relatively successful and may provide not only appropriate treatment but also a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying many kinds of disordered behavior.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the term used to describe children who are inattentive, impulsive, and hyperactive. The cause is unknown and is thought to be multifactorial. Based on the work of others, we hypothesized that some children with ADHD have altered fatty acid metabolism. The present study found that 53 subjects with ADHD had significantly lower concentrations of key fatty acids in the plasma polar lipids (20:4n-6, 20:5n-3, and 22:6n-3) and in red blood cell total lipids (20:4n-6 and 22:4n-6) than did the 43 control subjects. Also, a subgroup of 21 subjects with ADHD exhibiting many symptoms of essential fatty acid (EFA) deficiency had significantly lower plasma concentrations of 20:4n-6 and 22:6n-3 than did 32 subjects with ADHD with few EFA-deficiency symptoms. The data are discussed with respect to cause, but the precise reason for lower fatty acid concentrations in some children with ADHD is not clear.

This pilot study evaluated the effects of supplementation with PUFA on blood FA composition and behavior in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD)-like symptoms also reporting thirst and skin problems. Fifty children were randomized to treatment groups receiving either a PUFA supplement providing a daily dose of 480 mg DHA, 80 mg EPA, 40 mg arachidonic acid (AA), 96 mg GLA, and 24 mg alpha-tocopheryl acetate, or an olive oil placebo for 4 mon of double-blind parallel treatment. Supplementation with the PUFA led to a substantial increase in the proportions of EPA, DHA, and alpha-tocopherol in the plasma phospholipids and red blood cell (RBC) total lipids, but an increase was noted in the plasma phospholipid proportions of 18:3n-3 with olive oil as well. Significant improvements in multiple outcomes (as rated by parents) were noted in both groups, but a clear benefit from PUFA supplementation for all behaviors characteristic of AD/HD was not observed. For most outcomes, improvement of the PUFA group was consistently nominally better than that of the olive oil group; but the treatment difference was significant, by secondary intent-to-treat analysis, on only 2 out of 16 outcome measures: conduct problems rated by parents (-42.7 vs. -9.9%, n = 47, P = 0.05), and attention symptoms rated by teachers (-14.8 vs. +3.4%, n = 47, P = 0.03). PUFA supplementation led to a greater number of participants showing improvement in oppositional defiant behavior from a clinical to a nonclinical range compared with olive oil supplementation (8 out of 12 vs. 3 out of 11, n = 33, P = 0.02). Also, significant correlations were observed when comparing the magnitude of change between increasing proportions of EPA in the RBC and decreasing disruptive behavior as assessed by the Abbreviated Symptom Questionnaire (ASQ) for parents (r = -0.38, n = 31, P < 0.05), and for EPA and DHA in the RBC and the teachers' Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD) Rating Scale for Attention (r = -0.49, n = 24, P < 0.05). Interestingly, significant correlations were observed between the magnitude of increase in alpha-tocopherol concentrations in the RBC and a decrease in scores for all four subscales of the teachers' DBD (Hyperactivity, r = -0.45; Attention, r= -0.60; Conduct, r = -0.41; Oppositional/Defiant Disorder, r = -0.54; n = 24, P < 0.05) as well as the ASQ for teachers (r = -0.51, n = 24, P < 0.05). Thus, the results of this pilot study suggest the need for further research with both n-3 FA and vitamin E in children with behavioral disorders.

This article summarizes the major academic problems of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and addresses the extent to which these problems are secondary to ADHD, rather than a part of a co-occurring learning or cognitive disability. The article delineates the academic problems of students with ADHD in relation to their primary characteristics—how one influences the nature of the other. Treatment implications are discussed to indicate how educators might modify classroom settings to enhance the academic achievement of students with ADHD.

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Current theory and practice in the clinical and educational management of hyperactive children recommend reduction of environmental stimulation, assuming hyperactive and distractable behaviors to be due to overstimulation. This paper reviews research suggesting that hyperactive behavior may result from a homeostatic mechanism that functions to increase stimulation for a child experienceing insufficient sensory stimulation. It is suggested that the effectiveness of drug and behavior therapies, as well as evidence from the field of sensory deprivation, further support the theory of a homeostatic mechanism that attempts to optimize sensory input.

This article reviews factors that contribute to and improve selective and sustained attention in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD-the inattentive and combined subtypes). A brief review of interventions for inattention included psychostimulant medication, behavioral consequences, active-learning, practice, and cognitive behavioral (self-monitoring) techniques. Some of these traditional methods must be applied differently to children with ADHD, and some methods were found to be without empirical support. In contrast, educational interventions that involve increasing antecedent (task and setting) stimulus conditions have been demonstrated to normalize attention, and some actually improved the attentional performance of children with ADHD beyond that of their peers.

Two experiments assessed the effects of task-overlapping linguistic noise (ambient noise including conversations) on activity and performance of hyperactive and control children. High and low levels of linguistic classroom noise were each presented while children were performing tasks requiring auditory processing of information in a repeated-measures crossover design. The hyperactive children were most active and performed math and alphabet tasks worse in high than in low linguistic noise. Control children showed the opposite performance and activity pattern. The differential effects of linguistic noise were less pronounced in Experiment 2 when the task was new and more challenging for the control children, suggesting task difficulty may play a role in the effects of overlapping stimulation on both groups.Classroom teachers often comment on the poor attention hyperactive children pay to their tasks. For example, teachers report that these children often appear to be distracted by conversations around them. Although no direct investigations have looked at the effects of classroom noise stimulation on hyperactive children's activity and task performance, two divergent patterns of effects have been found when environmental stimulation has been manipulated. Hyperactive children have generally shown decreased activity and improved performance when added stimulation was physically or temporally separated from the task. Such effects occurred (a) when distant visual stimulation and auditory stimulation (i.e., rock music) were presented in the context of The authors are grateful to Robert Byrne for his assistance in Experiment 1 with computer analysis, to Howard Eldot for consultations regarding sound equipment, and to Beverly Ginter for her assistance with data collection. The authors also thank Thomas Zentall for his suggestions during different phases of this research. We also appreciate the cooperation of