Neurotherapy and ADHD
Living with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder can be an exasperating experience. Having some ADD symptoms myself, I am aware of the difficulties that might exist for my clients. Whether it is being unable to complete a project (such as completing articles like this one– which took me far longer than it should have); not knowing how to manage time (such as how long it should take me to get an errand competed) or a general lack of focus, it can be debilitating in multiple ways.
Recently, a fourteen-year-old boy and his parents inquired about neurotherapy for treating both his ADHD symptoms and anxiety symptoms. He was taking 10 mg of Prozac to manage his anxiety and no medication for his ADHD. He reported difficulty focusing and concentrating in school. His parents reported having to support him throughout his schooling as he was unable to manage his time, keep track of assignments, remember important details and plan properly. This had been the story of his life. In kindergarten he was sent out of class because he would blurt out answers. He wiggled, fidgeted, and talked non-stop. His teachers would comment on his inability to sit still or for tipping his chair backwards in class. One teacher said he would stand up to hand in an assignment and stare blankly because he could not recall what he stood up to do. His parents reported that he could not follow a list of simple instructions such as “go upstairs and brush your teeth.” He might get upstairs, but by then he would have forgotten the next instruction. It was well known that he would forget things, whether it was his lunchbox, textbooks, or his instrument. He also reported being impulsive and stated that as a child, he would have meltdowns and could not manage his emotions. At age 6, his anxiety began and by middle school his anxiety had became so debilitating that he was unable to participate in many activities at school. His parents were looking for a natural treatment for ADHD, as they were hoping to avoid more medication.
His brain maps showed a very typical ADHD profile, and the anxiety was also evident.
There are various profiles that are linked to ADHD including:
Frontal beta spindles:
Excessive theta:
Excessive delta is also common, which looks even slower than Theta:
An out of balance theta to beta ratio can also be present, where a person produces too much theta for the beta needed to be balanced.
Lastly, the presence of mu (matching rhythms in C3 and C4 regions). Mu is usually very strong in children with ADHD and is indicative of frontal lobe disengagement. These are the times when a parent might be talking to their child, and it feels as though “nobody is home.” The child is well known for daydreaming.
In this teen’s case, his brain map showed excessive frontal theta, as well as a very strong mu rhythm. He also had fast wave activity in the emotion regulation areas and had a thalamocortical dysrhythmia (which is often present in mood disorders).
Treatment for this teen included multiple weekly sessions, followed by bi-weekly, and then monthly sessions. He continues to receive maintenance treatments every 6-8 weeks. His anxiety is non-existent, and he was able to taper off his anti-anxiety medication. He stated that he can now focus, concentrate, and organize his thoughts better. He is still working on learning some executive functioning skills which may help him in future endeavours. He even made the statement “I don’t think I have ADHD anymore.” This, of course, is untrue but he no longer experiences the symptoms of ADHD because of treatment.
References
Images borrowed from:
www.neurofieldneurotherapy.com
www.sciencedirect.com
www.myndlift.com
