EEG Bio-Feedback

I have been reading that some children with ADHD respond well to EEG Bio-Feedback. Does anyone have any experience with this? I see that there are several firms selling such bio-feedback equipment. Has anyone seen any evaluations of the different equipement? Is there current research supporting or disproving the usefulness of EEG Bio-Feedback?

Thanks

Welcome, Irish Mike!

I can find very little in the literature that specifically supports the use of EEG biofeedback to treat symptoms of autism. Scolnick conducted a pilot study in which 5 boys with Asperger's used EEG biofeedback to improve focus and decrease anxiety("Effects of Electroencephalogram Biofeedback with Asperger's Syndrome", 2005, International Journal of Rehabilitation Research). Results were fairly disappointing. All five showed only slight improvement, but it was thought this could have been the result of maturation rather than the intervention itself. More research is definitely needed in this area.

One question to ask as you consider such techniques is: what are you trying to improve? Parents may be most concerned about improving focus, or reducing anxiety, or anger management/self control. Another question is: which techniques work best to help which area of concern? (In addition to biofeedback, one might consider cognitive-behavioral therapy, general relaxation techniques, anger management programs --which would probably include both CBT and relaxation techniques-- massage therapy, etc.)

A critical look at what intervention works best to alleviate what symptom is very much needed. The problem parents often face is that research doesn't always exist to support a treatment currently on offer.

Parents who decide to try any intervention, whether it's a medication, a diet, or biofeedback, can try to maintain a researcher's objectivity, using techniques researchers use to eliminate bias from how results are measured. Working with a health care professional, parents might, for example, have their child on and then off an intervention. They could "blind" the person rating the child's behavior --such as a teacher-- making sure that person didn't know when the child was on or off the treatment. If the teacher (who doesn't know when the child is on or off the treatment and so is not biased with hopeful expectations) rates the child as greatly improved in a certain area when the treatment is "on", you have some evidence that the treatment is actually having an effect.

(We'll soon have a new article up on the Community about this tentatively called, "How Do You Know When a Treatment Really Works?")