Dalcroze Eurhythmics in therapy for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms

Abstract

This article discusses the application of Dalcroze Eurhythmics in work with children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms. It comprises selected results of a doctoral study on the use of Eurhythmics with six-year-old children with ADHD symptoms, concerning mainly motor activity control and cognitive processes, for instance attention deficit. Quantitative methods were used to collect and analyse the data. The results show that participation in Dalcroze Eurhythmics increased the children’s ability to control motor activity or concentrate attention and lessened the tendency to distraction. The implication of this study is that music and its elements have values which are not only musical but, above all, educational and that they influence motoric, cognitive and social development of children both with and without disabilities.