Anyone tried Neurofeedback for their ADHD child?

[MyWanderfulBoy]

Please share your experience. My son is 5 and has ADHD and was recommended for it, but it’s expensive. Our insurance covers some so we’re open to trying it.

[Onthemove1971]

I tried it for my lifelong migraine and did not find it helpful. I basically learned, I stress to much and use an App like Calm or any calming App. I would recommend trying to teach him using breathing and using an App.

He is very young, I would recommend school based services such as Occupational Thearpy and or Behavior Specialist. Your local school system should be able to help set up services in a 504 plan.

[MyWanderfulBoy]

Thank you for sharing. He’s in behavioral therapy already. He really needs help with focus.. his hyperactive/impulsive nature make him lose focus/seem inattentive. He was recommended some natural supplements as he’s still in preschool and we don’t think he need a prescription until we see how he goes in elementary school. Will look into more mindfulness though too.

[hiker67]

Hello, We tried neurofeedback over several months for my son. I would say our experience was mixed. At the end my son said he felt like he could slow his thoughts down to concentrate when he was doing the neurofeedback and sometimes he could do that outside the session. We did end up cutting his medication in half after the neurofeedback with mostly the same efficacy. This was in middle school. Unfortunately we had several other things happening at the same time so it is difficult to say if the efficacy would have persisted after we stopped the treatment. Shortly thereafter my son stopped taking his medication all together, stopped therapy, and most of his symptoms returned. It is expensive, and time intensive. I'm not sure whether I would do it again, but I am usually willing to try almost anything to help my son.

[MyWanderfulBoy in reply to hiker67]

Thanks so much for sharing this. It’s very helpful and I’m going to look into OT as well.

[hiker67]

And, we also did lots of OT for his impulsive and sensory seeking behaviors. I found that to be very helpful. If you have $$ to spend for one or the other, I'd find a great OT who sees lots of ADHD kids.

[SecretAgentIEP in reply to hiker67]

Can you describe the OT Services? We were recently referred to one but not sure what to seek in an OT for poor executive functioning/organizational skills, impulsivity, hyperactivity, and hand cramping or headaches in response to writing/reading assignments. Thank you!

[eva2022 in reply to SecretAgentIEP]

We also did OT for impulse/sensory seeking behavior for our five year-old with ADHD. The OT spent a lot of time talking about awareness of emotions through a color-coded chart (red-over active, destructive, blue-sad, tired, ect). The most helpful part for us was a new understanding of helping eliminate unwanted sensory-seeking behavior by ‘filling up’ his sensory tank each day. We try to do three OT recommended activities each day, an additional one if he is still super active close to bedtime. The OT activities are partly just being active (jump on the trampoline, run, play ball, swim, ect) and partly to engage other senses (tight squeezes, weighted blanket, chewing crunchy veggies). This switch in mindset for me has been super helpful-if my son is being destructive/difficult, I probably need to do something to fill up his tank rather than solely focus on stopping the other behavior.

[Redpanda5]

Hi. We did it for several months for my daughter (adhd and anxiety) and she said she didn’t notice any difference.

[WaveBug]

We have not tried it but considered it for a minute. My daughter (now 11) was diagnosed at 6yrs. We held off on meds as long as possible as we were really scared about going down that route. We tried a couple of meds, starting & stopping until we finally acquiesced when she was 8. While no medication is perfect and it evolves over time/age/circumstance, there is no way she/we could get through the day without it. Everyone is different, but for her this isn't just about focus or doing well in school, it is about being able to accomplish the most basic tasks on a daily basis. please note that we also have her in therapy, ensure she eats a balanced diet rich in veggies & protein and she gets good exercise. I'm sharing all this because when she was 6 a Dr told us that while it is great to compliment medicine with other sources of therapy/solutions, the reality is that this is a medical condition in the brain that cannot be solved without meds. I think that helped get us off the fence which has ultimately helped her and us. There will be advancements in research, meds, therapy and i will always be considering options, but coming back to the root fact has helped me stay sane. hope this helps

[MyWanderfulBoy in reply to WaveBug]

Thanks so much.. it’s very helpful to be reminded of that. In the end, we know he’ll need medication to keep up. He was also tested as gifted but his fast-paced brain gets in his way to rush through everything so we know that in order for him to reach his full potential academically, meds will be needed. His lack of focus gets in his way of doing basic daily tasks as well.. I relate so much to your reply.. he eats very healthy and gets plenty of exercise too, but the missing piece is the medication. We’ll be looking into it probably over the summer closer to the new school year when he goes off to elementary school.