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Rangahau · Doctoral thesis

Reframing Fidgeting Through a Māori Lens: Exploring ADHD, Brain Activity, and the Cultural Significance of Movement

About this research

Awardee: Uenukuterangihoka Jefferies (Ngāti Raukawa, Te Whānau-a-Apanui, Ngāti Awa, Te Whakatōhea), University of Auckland
 
This kaupapa Māori-informed study explores how fidgeting—small, repetitive movements often seen in people with wairangi ā-aronga (ADHD)—might be linked to patterns of brain activity and thinking. The research focuses on rangatahi and pakeke (16 years and older) in Tairāwhiti, with 40 participants: 20 with lived experience of wairangi ā-aronga and 20 neurotypical individuals, matched by age and gender.
 
The study recognises that fidgeting can resemble culturally significant movements, such as those used in kapa haka and poi. These rhythmic, purposeful actions have long been part of Māori expression, memory, and focus. By examining fidgeting not as a ‘disruption’ but as a potential form of self-regulation—similar to poi and haka—the research challenges Western ideas about attention and offers a culturally affirming lens on wairangi ā-aronga.
 
Participants will complete a fidgeting questionnaire, cognitive tasks, and a 90-minute MRI brain scan. The study will investigate whether different types of fidgeting support attention and activate certain brain areas, using tasks grounded in both neuroscience and mātauranga Māori.
 
Through iwi partnership, hui, and wānanga, this study aims to honour tikanga, uplift Māori voices, and reframe wairangi ā-aronga as a condition that may benefit from culturally embedded movement practices for enhancing hauora hinengaro.

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