Using Neurofeedback to Improve ADHD Symptoms in School-Aged Children

Abstract

The diagnosis and treatment of the behaviors associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) predominantly involves pharmacological interventions. Many children experience significant negative side effects (e.g., appetite suppression, insomnia, headaches, stomachaches, irritability, and impaired height) from the initial and continued use of stimulant medication. Consequently, many parents are motivated to consider alternative treatments for ADHD such as neurofeedback. This paper presents an archival review of the improvements in auditory and visual attention and response control after 40 sessions of artifact-corrected neurofeedback for 51 children ages 6 to 17 with ADHD. Initially, the majority of these clients were identified as having severe to extreme auditory and visual attention impairments. The IVA-2 CPT was administered prior to treatment and after 20 and 40 treatment sessions were completed. After 20 sessions of neurofeedback significant improvements of both auditory and visual attention and response control were found with small to large size effects. The clients continued to improve after an additional 20 sessions, with medium to large size effects after 40 sessions. At completion of treatment the mean of eight of the nine attention and response control scores fell within the "normal" range.

Neurofeedback: An Examination of Attentional Processes in Adults with Self-Reported PTSD Symptoms

“…Further studies indicated that modulating brain activity provided long-term neural-network stability and neuroprotection against various toxins and neurodegeneration (da Silva-Sauer et al, 2019). Neurofeedback therapy has gained recognition as an appropriate intervention for conditions ranging from PTSD, ADHD, learning disabilities, and emotional dysregulation (Hammond, 2011;McReynolds, Bell, & Lincourt, 2017;McReynolds, Britt & Villalpando, 2019;McReynolds, Villalpando & Britt, 2018).…”

“…Auditory processing difficulty (APD) does not pertain to hearing loss as measured in standard audiological screenings; rather, it is the manner in which the brain processes auditory stimuli (McReynolds et al, 2018;McReynolds et al, 2019). APD can be identified at any age.…”

“…Although the underlying etiology of APD is controversial, deficits in performance are well documented including difficulty comprehending speech in the presence of background noise (Choudhury & Sanju, 2019;McReynolds et al, 2018;McReynolds et al, 2019;Thomas & Mack, 2010). Individuals with APD have difficulty identifying phonemes and linking them to their representative letters, which subsequently interferes with comprehension and storage of information being received through auditory channels (Thomas & Mack, 2010).…”

“…Visual processing is not a measure of nearsightedness or farsightedness, rather it is the manner in which the brain, not the eyes, processes visual stimuli (McReynolds et al, 2018). Visual processing involves comprehension of visual information, such as written letters, symbols, images, and spatial localization of objects (Janarthanan, 2017).…”

“…Visual processing involves comprehension of visual information, such as written letters, symbols, images, and spatial localization of objects (Janarthanan, 2017). Visual processing difficulties (VPD) is the brain's inability to accurately process visual stimuli (McReynolds et al, 2018;McReynolds et al, 2019). Similar to the auditory processing system, the visual processing system is highly complex, involving other sensory structures and higher order cognitive processing (Ghazanfar & Schroeder, 2006).…”