Our 5 1/2 year old son has been diagnosed ADHD with impulsivity being his main issue. We are trying to avoid meds and have been doing neurofeedback (about 45 sessions so far). We have not seen much change except that our son is so sensitive to it that every time the therapist tries anything new (tweaking) our son responds so strongly (almost always negatively). The good news is that he is obviously very sensitive to this and something definetly is going on, but the bad news is we have not made much progress forward because he reacts so strongly when the therapist tries to push ahead. This is very expensive also. Has anyone had any experience, either good or bad with neurofeedback?
Neurofeedback
I thought Dr. Amen’s book promoted “biofeedback” which is essentially the same isn’t it? I too would like to know more.
Neurofeedback works
I am so sorry that I did not see this post earlier as Neurofeedback is definately not a scam. I originally had someone else train my son with Neurofeedback for ADD (and we had tried EVERYTHING. Drugs, counseling, behavioral therapy) and the change was nearly miraculous. He takes no medication at all and is in Honors Algebra this year. He’s happy, focused, does his homework with no reminding when he gets home (and does it fast) and really enjoys school. His teachers love him. I was so awed that I became a trainer myself and do it professionally. I can tell you it works! What’s best is that it works on things that medication often doesn’t touch. Distant, irritable children become calm, warm and loving. Sleep problems resolve and the children get to sleep easily, stay alseep without nightmares, night terrors or sleep walking and wake up happy and refreshed. The children become confident, less anxious, and happier with a greater sense of well being.
It is certainly a problem that your son is experiencing strong negative reactions to the training. I sympathize with you as this is intolerable. Neurofeedback trainers, like many in other fields, have different types of training and philosophies that they use. Some trainers push very hard and this can destabilize the child and cause negative reactions. They consider this normal. Other trainers use a much gentler approach and strive to never, ever cause a negative reaction. The type of training that they do and the software that they use to do it can be very different. Both approaches work, although the length of time for training and the pleasantness of the experience can differ substantially. It’s like the difference between a physical therpist who hurts you all the time and one who doesn’t. Both approaches are legitimate and they both work, but which do you want to do?
I think that Neurofeedback is fabulous for ADHD and have had great success with it in my practice. Please don’t give up on it! I suspect that you may need a different Neurofeedback trainer who uses a different approach. Frankly, 45 sessions is alot of sessions. It could be that the case is complicated by a variety of things like co-exisiting conditions like autism or ODD, changes at home, health changes, changes in medications, poor communications between trainer and parent, etc. These will all lengthen the training process beyond what the trainer or parent could have predicted. However, 45 sessions seems more than enough time for your son to become stable and one wonders if this particular trainer just is not the one for you.
For instance, my approach is based on the belief that the brain will balance itself if we can guide it into more stable patterns. I don’t push the brain into a focused state or a relaxed state. I strive for stability across the entire brainwave spectra. It works great. My clients are finished in anywhere from 15 to 30 sessions. Even the little guys. For more information on this style of training you can check out my website at www.TheBrainHaven.com. www.eegdirectory.com can give you a list of trainers in your area. You’ve found a wonderful way to help your son, I wish you the best of luck!
Stacie Clark
I have several links on my site for information on Neurofeedback which include:
www.eegdirectory.com
www.eegspectrum.com
www.unmedicine.com
Books:
Symphony in Brain, Jim Robbins
Getting Rid of Ritalin: How Neurofeedback Can Successfully Treat Attention Deficit Disorder Without Drugs
by Robert W. Hill, Eduardo Castro
I’m guessing at $2500 this is a scam. Plus no ones replying, no one even knows anyone that they can retell the results of. At that price it’s doomed to fail. There are a lot of scams out there. If you have that kind of money, get a spect scan. The Daniel G Amen book is a great place to find ways to treat ADHD.