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ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER The last 15
years has shown some remarkable, but little known - even to professionals
- innovations in the treatment of attention deficit disorders. And
these are effective without the use of the medications commonly
prescribed for this condition.
Most of us have heard about the “hyperactive” child who has attention problems making it impossible for them to sit still in school, often associated with learning difficulties, and occasionally with behavior or conduct problems as well. Recent statistics estimate that 3% of girls and up to 8% of boys (almost 2 million children) may possess this disorder in various forms. All children behave this way at times, making their parents wonder if they have a “hyper” child: but thankfully, most mature out of it. However, those who are finally diagnosed show significant and enduring problems including excessive motor activity, short attention span, poor concentration, irritability, restlessness and fidgetiness, clumsiness and balance problems, mood swings, and impulsiveness. Although they are often lumped together (as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD), not all attention deficits are associated with hyperactive behavior. But they almost invariably result in poor school performance. This sets the scene for the development of conflictual relationships with parents, self-esteem problems, and often poor social development. The disorder can be devastating to the entire family. In addition, it is less well known, but attention deficit problems do not disappear with age, but continue to afflict many adults: it is estimated that 25% of those diagnosed as children still experience the disorder later in life, with poor overall life adjustment (job disturbances associated with low self-esteem, etc.) being an expectable result. Many people also know that by the early 1970’s it had become common practice to medicate ADHD children with central nervous system stimulants (the most common being Ritalin), which had the paradoxical effect of calming them down; and no one knew why. But of course, this medication often has significant physical and psychological side effects, motivating a continuing search for alternative treatments. Moreover, ADD/ADHD has also been strongly linked to alcoholism and drug addiction later in adult life, as well as to the attraction of mates/spouses who also suffer from alcoholism and drug addiction (see the work of Judith Lubar). Further, children who are given “medication” on a daily basis early in life and over long periods of time have been found to be much more vulnerable to recreational drug use during adolescence and teenage years. At the same time, scientists had begun to suspect that what underlay these various symptoms was impaired brain functioning, then termed MBD (for Minimal Brain Dysfunction). Measurements of brain electrical activity (EEG and topographical brain mapping studies) began to clearly indicate that there were various “soft” neurological abnormalities of event-related potential and brain wave patterns. When all the relevant EEG variables were taken into account, such measures indicated the correct diagnosis in 97% of the cases under study. Interestingly enough, these diagnostic measures also differentiate “normal” from “gifted” children. The increasing sophistication of these measures demonstrated abnormalities in the EEG correlates of motor behavior, attention, and fantasy activity. For example, ADHD children show lower beta activity (the fast brain wave associated with normal attention and concentration) than normal, and higher theta (the slow-wave activity associated with drowsiness, distraction & fantasy) than normal. Such a pattern appears in the profiles of even younger children, reminding one of the immaturity that is often ascribed to the ADHD child, as well as the fact that symptoms sometimes clear up with aging. Furthermore, when presented with an academic task, ADHD children do just the reverse of what is effective: they decrease beta; do not show the usual blocking of alpha (a mid-frequency brain-wave pattern); and theta activity actually increases. These results are consistent with and confirm the unexpected theory that ADHD children are actually under aroused! That is, they are unable to receive enough activation from sensory input. Hyperkinetic behavior then compensates for this sensory deprivation by seeking extra stimulation. Again, this answers the often perplexing question Why give a hyperactive child a stimulating medication such as Ritalin? With these data (along with new computer technology), it became possible to attempt a new treatment modality that duplicates in many ways the effects of stimulating medications. This involved the use of equipment that monitors the functioning of the brain and presents the subject with information about the current state of the brain’s electrical activity. When they can see (and hear) this EEG feedback information, individuals (children as well as adults) can actually learn to alter their brain-wave patterns. Just as the brain controls other bodily functions, it manages its own functioning; but it can do so only when it receives adequate information about its states. The EEG monitoring technology provides this. Once able to tell the differences among the states, subjects can learn to increase their own beta wave production, decrease theta, and block alpha. In short, with practice, people can learn to produce normal brain activity at will. Research results with this biofeedback technique have been excellent, with success rates in the area of 80-85%, despite the fact that the first subjects were precisely those cases that did not respond to medication. Patients are indeed able to learn to produce normal brain patterns; and all the behavioral, cognitive, and emotional components that are associated with the condition also show improvement. This treatment also appears to normalize the deficits in oxygenation in the frontal lobes of these children that recent MRI and SPECT scan studies have identified. Symptoms of hyperactivity often readily subside. Children become able to attend normally and oppositional-defiance (ODD) and obsessive-compulsive (OCD) difficulties often clear completely. These children clearly become more responsive to the parenting and teaching efforts to which they were previously unresponsive. The result of improvements in school performance that would be expected does, in fact, occur. Increases in IQ take place as well as the balancing of previously mismatched IQ subscales. (In one research project, 92% of the subjects increased their IQ scores by one standard deviation, and all the rest of the subjects were only one or two points behind.) Finally, children are often able to leave special classes and return to the mainstream, and often drug-free, as well. Whereas medication is ongoing proof to a child (and to others) that they are failures in their ability to control themselves, the neurofeedback results are a celebration of success in self-control. It is almost inevitable that poor self-esteem begins to resolve, and age-appropriate social development resumes. Most important, these results appear to be self-reinforcing and permanent. Many treated as children have now been followed up through college and into adulthood. The Biofeedback and Alternative Medicine Centers, and the advanced EEG neurofeedback training offered at its Williamstown and Cherry Hill, New Jersey offices, brings this drug-free treatment method and technology for attention deficit disorders to the greater South Jersey and Philadelphia areas. The ADD/ADHD treatment programs at the Biofeedback and Alternative Medicine Centers are organized on a three-times per week (or greater) schedule of approximately 45 minutes per session. Although results often begin to appear within 20 sessions, the full course of the work ordinarily requires 40 sessions (or more), depending on the severity and complexity of the disorder. The learning sessions must be phased out gradually towards the end of the treatment. “Booster” sessions continue to be available as the program follows up patients that have completed the initial phase of the treatment. The Biofeedback and Alternative Medicine Centers' programs include additional elements designed to address other issues relevant to ADHD clients. For example, Autogenic Training may be taught to assist them in managing their stress, augmenting their ability to quiet motor behavior, and producing a beneficial depth of relaxation. Autogenic Training has significant effects on the autonomic nervous system in its own right, as well as itself encouraging neurochemical changes in the brain. While specific learning deficits are not addressed through the program (the individual becomes more amenable to instruction and tutoring, which can be arranged independently of the program), personality and interpersonal issues are. The program integrates many techniques of individual counseling into the sessions of brain-wave training. In particular, the resolution of low self-esteem is emphasized, as well as interventions designed to correct cognitive distortions and to shape appropriate behavior in various social and school situations. These are intended to give direction to the psychosocial development that the child resumes as neuro-psychological functioning improves. Finally, therapists at the Biofeedback and Alternative Medicine Centers' programs offer consultation for parents and supportive counseling oriented to the dynamics and concerns of the family. This is to enhance the process of normalizing the patient within the family and school system, and to begin the healing of imbalances in family relationships that may have been consequences of the initial problem. ADD/ADHD and related disorders can cause so much havoc within the family and school, as well as casting a dark shadow over the current development and future prospects of the child. In light of this, successful EEG neurofeedback treatment, without the use of any medications, has shown itself to be nothing short of a miracle. |
Child, Adolescent and Adult Programs • Corporate and Educational Applications • Professional Consultation and Training • Stress-Related Medical and Behavioral Disorders • Pain Management • Anxiety/Depression • Post Trauma • Head Injuries •Learning/Perceptual & Neurological Impairments • ADD/ADHD • Addictions•ADHD & Neurobehavioral Disorders•HRV (Heart Rate Variability Training•Brand New Biofeedback Adventure Game called "Journey to the Wild Divine"