Neurofeedback for ADHD: Double Blind Research
ByThanks to the advances in technology, we’re literally gaining a look at how a brain affected with ADD/ADHD works. And because of that, many children – and adults have benefited from a therapy called neurofeedback.
Neurofeedback, so its supportors say, trains the brain to work more efficiently by measuring the brain waves while an individual essentially plays a video game. Now, the effectiveness of this treatment is being put to the test – the scientific test, that is.
Researchers at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio testing this form of therapy with the help of 36 children, aged six to 12. Each child receives 40 treatments of neurofeedback training either two or three times weekly for a total of 14 to 21 weeks.
The students are not permitted to take medication for ADD/ADHD during the course of the trial.
This study is the first time that neurofeedback as a treatment for ADD/ADHD has been tested in a double-blind study in this country. The study works by monitoring the brain waves of the children as they play the video game. As the children lose focus on the game, their brain waves will naturally slow. And in turn the test is constructed so the children lose the ability to control the game. They won’t be able to gain control again until they are prompted to refocus, which will increase their brain waves.
Having the research be ‘double blinded’, means that one group of the children will receive the real neurofeedback treatment, where the second group will have the same set up, however the treatment will not be true neurofeedback. This will allow the researchers to see if the neurofeedback leads to clinical improvement in children with ADD/ADHD, because the ‘sham’ treatment is acting like a placebo.
Watch this blog to see view the results of this trial. You can also visit here to read the entire news release of the study.
Best,
Dr. Kenny
p.s. to learn more about neurofeedback and other alternatives for ADD/ADHD, please visit: Alternatives for ADHD.
Technorati Tags: ADD, ADHD, Neurofeedback, alternative medicine
Wow, this is another breakthrough for science. I am hoping that soon, we can find a cure for ADHD.
I have ADHD, will my children have it as well? What are the chances?
where can I get it for a 2 yr old?
Hi Laurie,
I saw your post from 2009 and hope the issues with your now 4 year-old haveresolved. If not, please consider talking with a Brain State Technologist in your area. The process doesn’t require concentration or cognitive performance, so it can work well for younger children (as well as adults who just don’t want to deal with the challenge of games.)
You can Google the company and their site lists all locations, hopefully there’s one near you.(I would post the site, but I don’t know if that’s permitted.)
Best of luck to you!
Lisa
I am looking forward to reading the results of this study, but I don’t need it to know neurofeedback works. My daughter began half way through 1st grade when her teachers described he as “often clueless”. She had “needs improvement” in every area of conduct and study habits at that time and struggled with math. She was only mildly hyper and mostly lethargic. When she began neurofeedback, we immediately saw improvement. By the end of first grade, she had raised her marks in all areas – academic and conduct and study habits. Her lethargy is non-existent. Now into 2nd grade, she is excelling in every area (even math). At the most recent parent teacher conference I heard what every ADD parent wants to hear from a teacher – “I have been looking all of this time for something, anything that I know ADD looks like in the classroom, and I haven’t seen anything.” Wow – what a success.
I’m really encouraged to hear that someone has had success with neurofeedback. My five year old son has been taking neurofeedback sessions for about a month and a half now for ADD. So far it’s still a bit early to see results, but we’re desparate to keep him from getting kicked out of school. He goes to a private Montessori school and they’re pretty much fed up with his disruptive behavior and disinterest in lessons. He’s tested to be very gifted, but you’d never know it from his school performance. They’ve basically given us a month to find a way to improve his behavior, or withdraw him. We’ve increased his feedback sessions to twice a day, five times a week in an attempt to speed the process along and hopefully see enough of an improvement that we can at least keep him enrolled in school. I really don’t want to resort to medication unless I absolutely have no other choice.
I am wondering how your son did on nuerofeedback. I may try my son on it.
Well, it’s been almost a year now that he’s been taking neurofeedback and I have to say that I’m pretty disappointed that it doesn’t seem to be working for him. We ended up having to put him on medication, he was just unable to function in school without it and the feedback wasn’t helping. Even with medication and the neurofeedback he still has a few rough days. All in all I’d say it probably hasn’t done much for him. He does well in the sessions, but doesn’t seem to apply it to real life. Next month will be a year since we started. We were told that him being on meds would make it take longer for the feedback to work, so we may give it another year or so to work. After that we’ll probably call it quits. At least we gave it a try. Hopefully you have better luck if you decide to try it.
I am curious about the status of this study at Ohio State in regards to neurofeedback. Our seven year old son has been on Metadate CD (dose 10 mg. through 50mg), Adderall XR that caused too much anxiety, and currently is on the 30mg. Daytrana patch. One issue is that it doesn’t last 24 hours, and when he isn’t on meds, he is extremely hard to handle due to hyperactivity & impulsivity. We are researching other non medicine options, namely neurofeedback & have been in contact with a clinic that does it.
What is your experience with it….effectiveness, longevity of benefits, etc?
Thank you
I’ve been reading a lot about this and have no real opinion formed yet. Both my boys are well managed on Concerta and I’m not ready to take them off. They are both doing well. I, like every parent, worry about having a child on meds for a long time. I love the idea that the child’s brain learns to train itself. Why do all these alternatives cost SO MUCH $$? If they really want to promote these treatments as effective and accessible, they really should make it more financially accessible.
I would really love to see if this study has been completed and published.
My son who is 6yrs old just completed 33 treatments of neurofeedback and intially was told the average person takes about 40 treatments, stopped at 33 because there were minimal changes and then they would dissapear. The psycologist told me she would almost guarntee that we would see results and my case was a hard one, which now I think that was not true, I think it just does not work for everyone and truthfully prescription meds work much better in my sons case, I just have to accept that this is the best treatment for him for the time being. Will always be keeping a look out for new alternative treatments but will make sure they have fully backed studies behind them before I invest in these expensive treatments that do not work.
How can I contact you about getting neurofeedback for my daughter?
Hi Kathleen,
I don’t provide neurofeedback in my clinic. If you want to find out more about where you can get this treatment – go to google and search for “Neurofeedback for ADHD “. That should give you some options of people to contact
I have personally done a form of neurofeedback (or brainwave optimization) for post-partum depression and had such relief of symptoms that I became certified as a provider. I felt it was a non-invasive, natural alternative that needed to be more available to people. Since my certification, I’ve trained two of my children (one with ADD), and more than 70 others ranging from four-years-old to 78. I agree that it isn’t necessarily the answer for everyone, although I have only had two clients say that they saw minor rather than major changes after doing sessions. Children seem to do particularly well and typically only need ten sessions to see results using the system that I use. Brainwave Optimization has been such a blessing to me as I’ve experienced major improvements in my life and been able to be a catalyst in the lives of many others. I encourage everyone looking for alternatives to pursue them – your open-mindedness could change the future of someone with ADD.
To Lisa Witherow,
I have been researching the subject for only a few hours and am leaning toward exploring treatment for my child. I’m wondering about the specifics of the form of neurofeedback you became certified in. I’m intrigued that this is a possibility. As a therapist, I may be interested in exploring certification as well. What is the name of the certifying organization? Why did you choose this particular form?
Hi Lynn,
Thanks for the question. I’m certified through Brain State Technologies and have worked with clients for a little over two years using this system. I chose Brain State Technologies for several reasons, primarily because the process can help people despite their current ability to focus, perform at a high cognitive level, or follow strict instructions. I researched other less expensive programs and felt the investment in Brain State Technologies was most certainly worth it, considering the continual development in software that benefits the clients, the continuing education provided to affiliates, and the ongoing support. If you have any additional questions, I’m more than happy to help.
All the best to you!
Lisa