Jittery and jumpy children with ADHD have for years been scolded in the classroom for failing to sit still and concentrate.
But up to 5 per cent of British youngsters who have the condition could actually be better off wriggling and fidgeting in order to learn more, scientists have found.
A study into how children with ADHD process information revealed that their toe-tapping, leg-swinging and restless movements are vital to how they remember things and work out complex tasks.
Scientists suggested that those with ADHD could perform better in tests and homework while doing things like sitting on exercise bikes or activity balls.
The findings, published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, are thought to go some way in debunking longstanding methods for helping children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
The study, which was carried out at the University of Central Florida (UCF), found that the more a child with the condition moved while performing a certain task, the better he or she performed.
Mark Rapport, one of the authors of the research, said trying to reduce hyperactivity was therefore “exactly the opposite” of what parents and teachers should do.
“The message isn’t ‘Let them run around the room’, but you need to be able to facilitate their movement so they can maintain the level of alertness necessary for cognitive activities,” he said.
According to UCF Today, the study focussed on 52 boys aged eight to 12 – 29 of whom had been diagnosed with ADHD while the remainder had no clinical disorders.
They were all shown a series of jumbled numbers and a letter on a computer screen and asked to put them into order.
The children’s movements and performance were recorded on camera.
The footage revealed that those with ADHD who expressed more movement while completing the task performed better.
It was previously believed that excessive movement among hyperactive children was ever-present.
But the UCF scientists suggest that movement is only apparent when children need to use their brain’s executive functions - and that it actually serves a purpose.
“What we’ve found is that when they’re moving the most, the majority of them perform better,” Dr Rapport said. “They have to move to maintain alertness.”
However, this was not the case for the children without ADHD that were tested who, when moving during the cognitive task, performed worse.
In the UK, ADHD is thought to affect between 2 per cent and 5 per cent of school-aged children.
According to the NHS, common symptoms include a short attention span, restlessness and being impulsive.