The advantages of Neurofeedbak in children with ADHD

As the ways of integrating technology in 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 intervening in boys and girls with problems of this kind, since the first years of life are an age group 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 the adulthood.

In fact, one of these tools based on the use of technological solutions, Neurofeedback, is widely used to intervene in ADHD, one of the disorders that cause more problems in boys and girls of school age. Let's see what it consists of and how it is applied in these cases.

• Related article: "Types of ADHD (characteristics, causes and symptoms)"

What is Neurofeedback? And ADHD?

Neurofeedback is a technique based on recording brain activity (in the form of waves) to give feedback that the patient can use to self-regulate the functioning patterns of the brain. In other words, it allows real-time visualization of the level of brain activity in order to correct certain trends and readjust some mental processes.

On the other hand, Neurofeedback belongs to a group of techniques belonging to the category of Biofeedback, in which the person obtains information about what happens in her body: heart rate, neural activity, muscle tone, etc

For its part, ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a psychological alteration that is expressed from childhood and in which problems arise to concentrate and maintain a constancy in the completion of tasks. Children with ADHD find it very difficult to stay focused in school lessons, for example, and even just sitting still in the chair at the desk.

Thus, ADHD negatively affects school performance and makes it difficult to take advantage of the years of formal education. In addition, people with ADHD show a higher risk of addiction, anxiety disorders, and other complications.

• You may be interested in: "Neurofeedback: what is it and how is this therapeutic tool used?"

Advantages of Neurofeedback in children with ADHD

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

1. Enhances the level of patient autonomy

The main objective of Neurofeedback is to "train" the patient in the task of recognizing the signals that her own body sends her. to understand its activation status. This means that as the sessions progress, this non-verbal knowledge is consolidated in the patient's memory, so that he cannot stop to take it into account and take advantage of it spontaneously to better manage the way in which distractions, anxiety, impulses, etc. affect you.

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

Child and adolescent therapy is characterized by taking into account the verbal limitations of a class of patient who has not yet fully mastered abstract thought or introspection. However, Neurofeedback circumvents these kinds of limitations, because It is not based on the use of the word or reflection, but on implicit learning.

3. It has no side effects

Unlike what happens with other therapeutic resources, such as stimulant-type psychoactive drugs that are sometimes prescribed to treat ADHD, Neurofeedback does not it has side effects, since it is only based on the behavior and potential of each person to self-regulate their level of activation and management attention for. In addition, it is a painless technique, since despite the fact that it records brain activity, the skin is not pierced.

Bibliographic 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; Ermann, Andreja; Chonova, Katerina S.; Raboch, Jiri; Goetz, Michal (April 2017). «ADHD, Lifestyles and Comorbidities: A Call for a Holistic Perspective – from Medical to Societal Intervening Factors. Frontiers Psychology, 8:454.