White Noise in SLD and ADHD (WHITE NOISE)

Effects of White Noise on Academic Skills in Children With ADHD and Specific Learning Disorders: New Perspectives for Personalised Rehabilitation and Educational Intervention

White noise has been shown to improve working memory and attention in children diagnosed with ADHD . These cognitive abilities are fundamental to the acquisition of reading and writing skills. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of white noise on reading and writing performance in children with a diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) attending the first and second cycles of primary school.

The study is a randomized crossover clinical trial comprising five sequential phases. Each participant completes two standardized assessment sessions, one with white noise and one without, in a randomized order, separated by a four-week interval.

• Phase I (Recruitment and Screening): potential participants are identified and assessed for eligibility at the Centro di Riabilitazione San Raffaele Pisana in Rome.
• Phase II (Diagnostic Grouping): eligible children are assigned to one of two diagnostic groups based on their clinical profile (Group SLD + ADHD or Group SLD-only).
• Phase III (Randomized Sequencing): Within each diagnostic group, participants are randomly allocated to one of two exposure sequences to counterbalance order effects (White-noise → No-noise, or No-noise → White-noise).
• Phase IV (First Assessment Session): standardized assessment under randomized conditions, with or without white noise.
• Phase V (Second Assessment Session): standardized assessment, conducted four weeks later, with or without white noise according to the previous randomization.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Specific Learning Disability; Specific Learning Disorder; ADHD - Attention Deficit Disorder With Hyperactivity
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: White noise; Other: No white noise

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 30
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Italy
  • RM
    • Rome, RM, Italy, 00166
      • IRCCS San Raffaele

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Intelligence Quotient (IQ), assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scales (WISC-IV), ≥ 70.
• Age between 8 and 13 years.
• Diagnosis of SLD, with or without comorbid ADHD according to DSM-5 criteria.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Genetic disorders or sensory deficits.
• Pharmacological treatments that could interfere with task performance (including methylphenidate or specific ADHD treatments).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: ADHD; Subjects are enrolled according to the following criteria: Intelligence Quotient (IQ), assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scales (WISC-IV), ≥ 70. Age between 8 and 13 years. Diagnosis of ADHD according to DSM-5 criteria.	Other: White noise; Reading and writing standardized assessment with white noise. The white noise, created for this study by an audio engineer, is played through a speaker positioned approximately 1 m from the participant, at an intensity of 60-65 dB within the designated testing environment. At the start of each session, participants are informed of its presence to prevent any potential discomfort. This adaptation phase lasts approximately 2-3 minutes.; Other: No white noise; Reading and writing standardized assessment in the absence of white noise.
Experimental: ADHD + SLD; Subjects are enrolled according the following criteria: Intelligence Quotient (IQ), assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scales (WISC-IV), ≥ 70. Age between 8 and 13 years. Diagnosis of SLD with comorbid ADHD according to DSM-5 criteria.	Other: White noise; Reading and writing standardized assessment with white noise. The white noise, created for this study by an audio engineer, is played through a speaker positioned approximately 1 m from the participant, at an intensity of 60-65 dB within the designated testing environment. At the start of each session, participants are informed of its presence to prevent any potential discomfort. This adaptation phase lasts approximately 2-3 minutes.; Other: No white noise; Reading and writing standardized assessment in the absence of white noise.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Reading speed	For the passage-reading test and the word- and nonword-reading tasks: reading speed, expressed in syllables per second (syl/sec) was calculated by dividing the total number of syllables in the stimulus by the total reading time, measured in seconds.	4 weeks
Reading Accuracy	For the passage-reading test and the word- and nonword-reading tasks reading accuracy was defined as the total number of errors produced.	4 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: IRCCS San Raffaele Roma

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 23, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): November 30, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 17, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 26, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): January 29, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 29, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 26, 2026
• Last Verified: January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neurologic Manifestations; Nervous System Diseases; Mental Disorders; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Communication Disorders; Learning Disabilities; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Specific Learning Disorder; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
• Other Study ID Numbers: 137/SR/24

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No