Author: Rodrigues JMSM1, Mestre MICP2, Matos LC3, Machado JP4
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto ICBAS-UP, Rua de Jorge Viterbo, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal. Electronic address: jorgemrodrigues@outlook.pt.
<sup>2</sup>Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto ICBAS-UP, Rua de Jorge Viterbo, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal; Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Porto FMDUP, Rua Dr. Manuel Pereira da Silva, 4200-393, Porto, Portugal.
<sup>3</sup>Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.
<sup>4</sup>Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar, University of Porto ICBAS-UP, Rua de Jorge Viterbo, 228, 4050-313, Porto, Portugal; LABIOMEP, Porto Biomechanics Laboratory, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Plácido Costa, 91, 4200-450, Porto, Portugal.
Conference/Journal: J Bodyw Mov Ther.
Date published: 2019 Jan
Other:
Volume ID: 23 , Issue ID: 1 , Pages: 11-15 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2018.01.019. Epub 2018 Feb 6. , Word Count: 239
Child development and wellness are strictly dependent on several factors among them physical activity, a proper nutrition and, of critical importance, a healthy mind. Psychopathologies like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) have a direct negative impact on social, academic or occupational functioning of the affected children. If left untreated, these pathologies may progress to adulthood, thus requiring research strategies on conventional and nonconventional modalities of treatment. In this pilot study, conducted during the academic year 2015/2016, a combination of exercises of TaijiQuan (TJQ) and Qi Gong (QG) were taught to four selected children, three males and one female, aged between 6 and 10, suffering from the above mentioned behavioural disorders. The main goal was to understand if it is possible to achieve any kind of improvement in their condition, by evaluating the scores of the Achenbach Teacher's Report Form (TRF) in the beginning and ending of the experimental period. Results showed very interesting improvements in symptoms of CD, ODD and ADHD-HI (hyperactive-impulsive), while ADHD-PI (predominantly inattentive) showed only minor improvements. The overall symptom improvement was 43% across pathologies, which demonstrates that TJQ and QG may be a promising treatment of symptoms for children with behavioural disorders. More research is needed with controlled experimental designs and statistically representative samples in order to fully comprehend the versatility of these modalities.
Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
KEYWORDS: Behavioural disorders; Psychopathologies; Qi Gong; TaijiQuan
PMID: 30691737 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2018.01.019