Drake Institute

Why would a parent of an ADHD child choose brain map guided neurofeedback (EEG biofeedback) over drugs as the treatment of choice? There are 3 obvious answers.

The First ,of course, would be that neurofeedback used properly does not cause adverse side effects unlike drugs. The second, and even more compelling reason of why more and more parents are choosing brain map guided neurofeedback over drugs,  is that neurofeedback treatment facilitates the brain developing to more normalized functioning for long term improvement, whereas drugs can only temporarily suppress symptoms until  the afternoon when the drugs  wear off (just when it is time to do homework).

And the third compelling reason is that brainmap guided neurofeedback can restore the child’s self esteem more fully than a temporary drug effect can. ADHD children lack the neurologic resources to succeed and this leads to low performance in school and in many areas of their life. The child’s self esteem, which can become a lifetime self identity, forms day by day, year by year.   Many ADHD children  may say to themselves  “I’m not smart” though often they have higher than average IQ’s. For some ADHD children, using drugs to improve grades further weakens their self view. Drake’s treatment helps children develop the neurologic resources and  tools necessary to succeed, thus enabling them to immediately begin reversing the downward spiral of their self esteem.

Neurofeedback does not produce harmful side effects, unlike drugs, which can cause loss of appetite, weight loss, growth suppression, sleeping problems, mood swings, suppression of spontaneity, lowering seizure thresholds, and the potential for raising blood pressure and heart rate. Because most of the ADHD drugs are amphetamines or amphetamine class drugs, there is the potential for abuse and building up tolerance to the dosages.. Once tolerance is built up ,  the symptoms start increasing again; then the dosages may need to be further increased which can then result in more harmful side effects. Often in 2 to 3 years the drug will lose its effectiveness in suppressing symptoms and it is as if the ADHD child has not been treated at all..

To understand why brain map guided neurofeedback typically does not produce side effects and can produce long term improvements, unlike drugs, you first have to understand what ADHD or ADD is. The diagnosis of ADHD or ADD is simply describing a cluster of symptoms that are disrupting the child’s life. The diagnosis of ADHD or ADD does not tell you what region or neurophysical system in the brain the symptoms may be coming from. That can only be understood by studying brain functioning in real time, providing a snapshot of specific dysfunction.

These symptoms are a result of specific neurophysiologic systems of the brain deregulating or misfiring. .For example If the  frontal region of the brain is deregulating, then the child can have difficulty with concentration, executive functioning,expressive language, and short term working memory. If the right frontal region of the brain is misfiring or deregulating, then the child is likely to have difficulty with impulse control.

ADHD or ADD is at its core, a neurologic disorder. It is unfortunate that the conventional evaluation of ADHD or ADD usually does not involve studying brain functioning. If the symptoms are coming from the brain, then wouldn’t you want to look at brain functioning ? If a patient is experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath, the first act the physician does is obtain an electrocardiogram (EKG) of the patient. Not to do so would be medically negligent.

Comparatively, a qEEG brainmap for an ADHD patient is as important as an EKG is for a cardiac patient. The more information the physician has on which regions of the patient’s brain the symptoms are coming from, then the more effective the targeted neurofeedback protocols are likely to be.

Unlike drugs, where “one size fits all” (except for the dosages), brainmap guided neurofeedback treatment protocols are unique or “custom tailored” for each patient. The individualized neurofeedback protocols are developed from linking the patient’s symptoms or complaints to the matching abnormal regions on the qEEG brainmap. The regions or neurophysical systems of the brain that are working normally are not treated with neurofeedback. Unfortunately, this is not the case with drugs for ADHD which stimulate even the areas of the brain that are already working normally, thus causing negative side effects because these regions are now overstimulated..

A physician could review 100 brainmaps of 100 children with similar ADHD  symptoms and the imbalances on each child’s brainmap will be different resulting in individualized neurofeedback protocols for each patient. Because the child is actively participating in his / her developing self regulation with neurofeedback to improve his / her brain functioning, he/she can become empowered as new capacities are develped. This leads to more success and self confidence in his / her day to day life which ultimately restores his/her  self esteem.