Neurofeedback treatment in autism. Preliminary findings in behavioral, cognitive, and neurophysiological functioning

Neurofeedback Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorders – Scientific Foundations and Clinical Practice

“…The paragraph ends with discussing the long-term maintenance of effects of neurofeedback. Neurofeedback was found to positively affect autistic symptoms, such as social interaction problems and communication deficits (Coben & Padolsky, 2007;Kouijzer et al, 2009b;Kouijzer et al, 2010;Sichel, Fehmi, & Goldstein, 1995). In addition, improvement in selfesteem, empathy, and flexibility were seen, as well as reductions of anxiety, temper tantrums, and mood changes (Scolnick, 2005).…”

“…Response rates of neurofeedback in individuals with autism have been reported to vary between 54 and 76% (Coben & Padolsky, 2007;Kouijzer et al, 2009b;Kouijzer et al, 2010;Kouijzer et al, under review). This means that in more than half of the clients with autism who participated in a scientific study, EEG activity was successfully changed over the course of the neurofeedback treatment.…”

“…(Scolnick, 2005;Sichel, Fehmi, & Goldstein, 1995;Thompson, Thompson, & Reid, 2010), whereas other studies compared a group of participants that had neurofeedback with a group of participants that had no neurofeedback or another treatment (Coben & Padolsky, 2007;Jarusiewicz, 2002;Kouijzer et al, 2009b;Kouijzer et al, 2010;Kouijzer et al, under review). Furthermore, in all studies to date, the participants were either children or adolescents.…”

“…In addition, improvement in selfesteem, empathy, and flexibility were seen, as well as reductions of anxiety, temper tantrums, and mood changes (Scolnick, 2005). These positive effects of neurofeedback were all reported by parents who filled out questionnaires inquiring about their children's behavior (Coben & Padolsky, 2007;Jarusiewicz, 2002;Kouijzer et al, 2009b;Kouijzer et al, 2010;Thompson, Thompson, & Reid, 2010) or reflected the outcomes of parent interviews (Jarusiewicz, 2002;Scolnick, 2005;Sichel, Fehmi, & Goldstein, 1995). In one study, neurofeedback did not result in a reduction of autistic symptoms (Kouijzer et al, under review).…”

“…In contrast to the reports of parents, teachers did not report as much improvement in social interactions and communication skills. At the same time, the observations of teachers were included in only three studies (Kouijzer et al, 2010;Kouijzer et al, under review;Scolnick, 2005). In one of these three studies, teachers reported improvement in behavior of adolescents with autism following neurofeedback (Scolnick, 2005).…”