title: The Impact of Idle Time in the Classroom: Differential Effects on Children With ADHD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Studies have identified an exacerbation of ADHD deficits under specific laboratory conditions. Less is known about the significance of such contextual factors in relation to everyday functioning in naturalistic settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study investigated the differential impact of classroom "idle time"--periods when students are not actively engaged or waiting for a task--on the behavior of 31 children with ADHD (25 boys and 6 girls; aged 6-12 years) and 31 sex- and age-matched typically developing classmates, who were simultaneously observed in their normal classroom during two school days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both groups experienced the same amount of idle time (12% of the time). During idle time, however, levels of hyperactivity and noisiness increased significantly more in children with ADHD than in their classmates (p < .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings highlight the differential susceptibility of ADHD children to classroom idle time. Classroom interventions might consider targeting specifically these periods to reduce disruptive behavior in these children.
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Belgium Ghent University Hospital, Belgium lindita.imeraj@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Lindita
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Imeraj
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Belgium Ghent University Hospital, Belgium.
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Antrop
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Roeyers
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Belgium University of Antwerp, Belgium University Center Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Dirk
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Deboutte
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Deschepper
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Belgium Ghent University Hospital, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bal
authors.affiliation: Ghent University, Belgium University of Southampton, UK.
authors.forename: Edmund
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sonuga-Barke
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006948:Hyperkinesis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: ADHD; classroom; context; disruptive behavior; variability