The advantages of Neurofeedbak for children with ADHD

This tool is very useful in addressing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

As the ways of integrating technology into the treatment of psychological problems advance, the repertoire of tools with which to help all types of patients is expanding.

This is especially important when it comes to intervening with children with problems of this kind, because the first years of life are an age range in which we are very vulnerable; complications in the maturational development of the brain can generate a domino effect of more serious consequences than those they would suffer if they began to develop these disorders in adulthood.

In fact, one of these tools based on the use of technological solutions, Neurofeedback, is widely used to intervene in ADHD.The treatment of this disorder is one of the disorders that cause most problems in school-age children. Let's see what it consists of and how it is applied in these cases.

What is Neurofeedback and what about ADHD?

The Neurofeedback is a technique based on registering the cerebral activity (in the form of waves) to give feedback that the patient can use to self-regulate the brain's functioning patterns. In other words, it makes it possible to visualize in real time the level of brain activity in order to correct certain tendencies and readjust certain mental processes.

On the other hand, Neurofeedback belongs to a group of techniques belonging to the Biofeedback category, in which the person obtains information about what is happening in his or her body: heart rate, neuronal activity, muscle tone, etc.

On the other hand, ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a psychological disorder that is expressed from childhood onwards. a psychological alteration that is expressed since childhood and in which problems arise to concentrate and to maintain a constant and to maintain a constancy in the accomplishment of tasks. Children with adhd feel that it is very difficult to stay focused in school lessons, for example, and even to remain still in the desk chair.

Thus, ADHD affects school performance very negatively and makes it difficult to get the most out of years of formal education. In addition, people with ADHD show a higher risk of falling into addictions, anxiety disorders, and other complications.

Advantages of Neurofeedback in children with ADHD

As we have seen, Neurofeedback emphasizes the need to learn to self-regulate by learning about what is happening in our body. This is the logic used as a tool that helps people with ADHD; let's see what are the benefits it brings as a therapeutic support in these cases.

It enhances the patient's level of autonomy.

The main objective of Neurofeedback is to "train" the patient in the task of recognizing the signals that his own body sends him to understand their state of activation. This means that as the sessions progress, this non-verbal knowledge is consolidated in the patient's memory, so that he/she can no longer ignore it and spontaneously uses it to better manage the way in which distractions, anxiety, impulses, etc. affect him/her.

2. It does not require a great command of language.

Child and adolescent therapy is characterized by taking into account the verbal limitations of a class of patients who have not yet fully mastered abstract thinking and introspection. Neurofeedback, however, circumvents these kinds of limitations, because it does not it is not based on the use of words or reflection, but on implicit learning..

3. It has no side effects

Unlike what happens with other therapeutic resources, such as stimulant-type psychotropic drugs that are sometimes prescribed to treat ADHD, Neurofeedback has no side effects, since it is based only on the behavior and the potential of each person to self-regulate his or her level of activation and attentional management. Moreover, it is a painless technique, given that although it records brain activity, it does not pierce the skin.

Bibliographical references:

• Arns M, de Ridder S, Strehl U, Breteler M, Coenen A (July 2009). "Efficacy of neurofeedback treatment in ADHD: the effects on inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity: a meta-analysis". Clinical EEG and Neuroscience. 40 (3): 180 - 189.
• Skodzik T, Holling H, Pedersen A (February 2017). Long Term Memory Performance in Adult ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders. 21 (4): 267 - 283.
• Weissenberger, Simon; Ptacek, Radek; Klicperova-Baker, Martina; Erman, Andreja; chonova, Katerina S.; Raboch, Jiri; Goetz, Michal (abril de 2017). «ADHD, Lifestyles and Comorbidities: A Call for an Holistic Perspective – from Medical to Societal Intervening Factors. Frontiers Psychology, 8: 454.