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Articles: Children - ADHD
Cures
By Bob Gottfried
Ph.D.
It is estimated that over 5% of all children in
North America are experiencing at least one form of attention
deficit disorder. Both ADD and ADHD are characterized by one or more
of the following: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.
Learning disabilities are characterized by one or more difficulties
associated with attention, reading, writing, oral language,
reasoning, memorizing, and problem solving. Further difficulties may
include compromised organizational skills and social interaction.
The question of whether or not attention
deficit disorders can be remedied has received significant attention
from many researchers. Treating children and adolescents with
stimulants (for instance Ritalin), has proven to be helpful but is
limited by side effects and tolerance. The introduction of
Neurofeedback (also known as EEG Biofeedback), has offered new hope
for parents wanting to help resolve the attention related problems
of their children without the use of medication. Neurofeedback
research has shown that training brain wave patterns can remedy
cognitive impairment associated with attention deficit related to
ADD, ADHD, LD.
Brain wave activity and Attentional
Shifting - The brain produces different frequencies for
different levels of attention. They include the following:
Delta – sleep state
Theta – between sleep and awake,
also a meditative state
Alpha – relaxed state
Beta1 –
focused concentration
Beta2 – alert state
Beta3 – very
alert, vigilant
Beta4 – Hyper vigilant
The ability to
produce the right states, especially those associated with focus and
attention is paramount to be able to perform a variety of cognitive
tasks such as listening, learning and processing information, in
general. In addition, the ability to shift from one state to another
when required, offers tremendous mental flexibility, which results
in enhanced mental performance in every area of life.
The
Use of Neurofeedback in Treating Attentional Difficulties -
Neurofeedback, which is a form of biofeedback, has been used for
over 20 years to treat concentration related difficulties associated
with ADD/ADHD and LD. In general, Neurofeedback is a modality which
uses an EEG recording system along with training software to enhance
brain wave activity that is instrumental for improving
concentration.
The premise behind Neurofeedback is related
to earlier findings which established that individuals with poor
concentration lack sufficient levels of Beta1 (This band is also
called SMR - short for sensory motor rhythms) brain waves to sustain
attention. The findings also showed that individuals with attention
deficits exhibit excessive amounts of slow brain wave activity,
especially Theta waves. Joel Lubar, a pioneer in this field,
demonstrated that treatment modalities focusing on enhancing the
Beta1/Theta ratio have been very effective in treating children with
attention deficits and learning disabilities, which usually resulted
in improved school performance and better behavior control. During
Neurofeedback sessions, the person wishing to enhance concentration
and improve attention and focus, uses feedback coming through an EEG
machine to enhance Beta1 and decrease Theta. After a certain amount
of training, typically between 40 and 60 sessions, the individual is
able to produce more Beta1 at will. Lubar also proved that all
children experiencing any form of learning disabilities demonstrated
low amounts of Beta1 waves and that many of the symptoms diminished
after a process of brain wave training.
Neurofeedback
treatment can also result in significant improvement of intellectual
functioning, as measured by increases in IQ scores (Linden, Habib
& Radojevic, 1996). Such improvement is most likely the result
of the treatment's positive impact on the person's ability to
concentrate. More recently, Monastra (2002) found that Neurofeedback
has proven to be successful in long term improvement of ADD/ADHD
symptoms. In this study, 100 children, aged six to nineteen years,
diagnosed with ADD/ADHD were monitored for one year. All children
received parental counseling, academic support, and Ritalin. Half of
the children also received Neurofeedback training. After 12 months,
all children showed improvement in their attention. However,
children who stopped taking Ritalin and did not train with
Neurofeedback, lost the gains they had achieved, whereas those who
also received brain wave training kept their gains even after they
stopped using Ritalin.
Computer Assisted
Programs - The use of computer-assisted programs in the
treatment of cognitive deficits is not new.
Previous studies
have shown the benefits of such cognitive training for treating
attention deficits and learning disabilities. The National
Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Development Conference
Statement confirmed that "Computer-assisted strategies have been
used to improve specific neuro-psychological processes,
predominantly attention, memory, and executive skills. Both
randomized controlled studies and case reports have documented the
success of these interventions using intermediate outcome measures."
New Generation Software - Lately, a new
generation of programs makes it much easier and faster to treat
attention deficits. The most notable innovation related to these
programs is that they can provide effective training without
clinical supervision. One such program: SharperBrain has gain
substantial recognition in the area of improving cognitive
performance for individuals with cognitive deficits. This is a
language independent program, which makes it easier for the brain to
generalize the results. SharperBrain directly trains the brain to
enhance all levels of attention in addition to a long list of
cognitive skills. SharperBrain was developed based on research done
with EEG based technology. The goal was to develop a program that
can avoid the costly aspect of EEG instrumentation and to make it
easy to use and more economical. The program works in two ways.
First, improve brain wave activity by enhancing the following three
attentional levels:
1. Calm: Allows the mind to relax and
get ready for different mental tasks. It is also a state important
for contemplation and planning. In terms of brain activity, this is
equivalent to Alpha state. 2. Focused: Allows paying attention to a
specific task, while offsetting distractions. This is equivalent to
Beta1 state.
3. Alert: Allows fast response when the need to
react quickly is required. This is equivalent to Beta2 state.
In addition, SharperBrain trains the brain to develop a
variety of cognitive abilities such as divided attention,
multitasking, speed of processing, working memory, visual/auditory
processing and coordination as well as higher executive skills such
as decision making, organizing and prioritizing. It also trains the
brain to offset distractions. Such skills are not part of the
traditional Neurofeedback protocols. Another advantage of such
program is that unlike Neurofeedback, which can be only administered
by a clinician, it can be practiced at home after a very brief
training. In addition, it does not require specialized equipment
such as EEG, making it a very cost effective alternative.
With the latest research and news about side effects of
attention deficit-related medication, the interest in this
innovative technology has significantly risen in the past year and
is expected to continue to draw individuals interested in utilizing
a drug free approach to attention deficit disorders. Dr. Frank H.
Duffy a Professor and Pediatric Neurologist at Harvard Medical
School and an Associate Editor for Neurology, Clinical EEG Journal
noted recently the following: "In my opinion, if any medication had
demonstrated such a wide spectrum of efficacy it would be
universally accepted and widely used. It is a field to be taken
seriously by all."
A lot has been written on the connection
between nutrition and ADHD. The fact remains that ADHD is a
neurological deficiency. Proper nutrition and supplementation may be
helpful in better controlling this and many other health related
problems, but it cannot fix the neurological aspect of the problem.
Supplements and herbal remedies can have some calming effect on
hyperactive kids, but they cannot teach a child with attention
deficit disorder how to neutralized distractions around them and how
to consistently pay full attention to the teacher while learning
material that is not so exciting for the student.
With the
new technology, Sharper Brain is offering children and adults an
effective option to be able to make the necessary neurological
changes so that they can, perhaps for the first time in their lives,
focus and concentrate when they need it and for as long as it's
needed.
Bob Gottfried PhD specializes in is a
Neuro-cognitive therapy. He is the clinical director of Advanced
Cognitive Enhancement clinics in Toronto, Canada. More information
about SharperBrain can be found on the official website:
http://www.SharperPrograms.com
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