ADHD
In 2013, the "Best Practices" website of the American Academy of Pediatrics endorsed Neurofeedback as a Level One Modality which places it in the same category as Medication, Counseling and Behavior Management Therapy.
Presently New Mind has its own database system that has been serving hundreds of clinics worldwide for over a decade and is considered one of the top database systems in the field of neurofeedback. In addition we have access to and employ other top database systems for further analysis when necessary. Third parties interested in outsourcing their qEEG services can select the system that best suits their needs when they have their clients mapped at New Mind Center.
How Can Neurofeedback Help With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – ADHD?
Over 40 years of basic and applied research demonstrates the efficacy of Neurofeedback for ADHD. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ADHD is the most frequently diagnosed pediatric behavioral health disorder in American school-aged children. ADHD is widely viewed as being associated with inattentiveness, difficulty organizing or completing tasks, impulsivity, restlessness, and hyperactivity.
Neurofeedback is uniquely suited to addressing the neuronal dysregulation typically seen in the Frontal Lobes of the Brain. The most common pattern is a slowing of brainwave activity which is opposite of what is desirable when attention and concentration is required. This generally means the area is under-activated and is using less glucose and oxygen than it should. Although we all have difficulty attending to things that don’t excite us, for children and youth with ADHD even more slowing occurs. This results in significant interference with attention, short term memory and emotional evaluation. Some individuals will fall asleep or enter into a daydreaming state in 90 seconds if forced to attend a boring stimulus. The agitation they experience when forced to attend in class or complete homework is physically painful for them. When they do pay attention, it is like trying to follow a story or conversation on television or an electronic devise and someone else is changing the channel or controlling the screen.
Adults diagnosed with ADHD also experience similar difficulties because they don’t absorb important information and frequently make errors, like forgetting important deadlines or requests. This can have a profound impact on interpersonal relationships, job performance and quality of life.
It is difficult for people of any age with ADHD to observe and understand why and where their problem is coming from. They frequently feel as though everyone is out to get them or that they are getting unfairly picked on or misunderstood. They often become hypervigilant, angry and defensive. At this point the picture becomes much more complex and symptoms of Anxiety and/or Depression need to be addressed as well. This is why having a qEEG Quantitative Brain Map done before starting Neurofeedback is critically important for personalizing the training and optimizing the outcome.
