Neurofeedback has been utilized successfully for forty years to reduce or eliminate seizure activity and minimize symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder. Recent advances in neuroscience as well as computer hardware and software have enabled neurotherapy to address a wide range of disorders.
Initial brain function is mapped using digital electroencephalography, which is subsequently entered into a normative database for comparison (this procedure is commonly referred to as a brain map). See attached figure (rows 1 and 2 document the power that the brain produces in a given wavelength at a given site). Any color other than green on the first two lines is outside of normal (red indicating a 99th percentile overabundance, blue a 99th percentile deficit). Rows 3-5 document connections within the brain, with blue or red lines signifying those interrelations that are far outside the normal range. This particular map (from a child with autism) demonstrated an extremely high level of anxiety as well as significant connection and timing issues.
As new pathways are created or old ones overwritten, the child’s cognitive function improves. Effects typically include enhanced emotional regulation and/or academic function. By virtue of the training, the child necessarily learns to shift state based on environmental demands, which is the crucial defining element of social functioning. Without this ability, connecting with others and experiencing joy in interactions is quite difficult.
All treatment is individualized based on initial data, the child’s response to different treatment alternatives (methodologies, frequencies, sites), and parental goals. Typically, training occurs twice per week (three times per week in the first one to two weeks is ideal). Effects are usually noted within the first 5-7 sessions, although sometimes much more immediate. It is considered standard in the field that any particular change is usually made permanent by forty sessions. My experience is that in every individual, certain changes occur rapidly and persist easily, while others take more time to achieve. Newly achieved abilities and those cognitive changes that are reinforced on a daily basis (e.g., awareness of others facial expressions and emotion) are also more likely to be easily maintained and further developed. Children with ASD often respond quickly but seem to need a longer maintenance schedule. It has also been my experience that parents tend to remain in treatment after one set of goals is achieved in order to achieve new objectives. For example, once the child’s mood, social skills, and behavior improve, the parents commonly ask about targeting improved reading comprehension and other academic skills.
