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ADD/ADHD & NEUROTHERAPY Neurotherapy has been shown to be as effective as medication for attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity (Rossiter and LaVaque, Journal of Neurotherapy 1995; 1:48-59, and Fuchs, Birbaumer, Lutzenberger, Gruzellier and Kaiser, Applied Physiology and Biofeedback, 2003; 1;1-12). More importantly, the improvement from neurotherapy remains, whereas "After the medication wash-out period, relapse was noted on behavioral and CPT [TOVA] measures in each of the participants who had not received EEG biofeedback" (Monastra et al, Applied Physiology and Biofeedback 2002; 27:231-249). One of the earliest practitioners of neurotherapy for ADD/ADHD, Joel Lubar, Ph.D., tested children ten years after training and found they had retained their gains. Various studies have shown increase in I.Q. scores after neurotherapy. Lubar, Swartwood, Swartwood, and O'Donnell trained nineteen ADHD children for forty sessions and saw increases in Verbal I.Q. from 113.3 to 122, Performance I.Q. from 109.6 to 116.1, and Full Scale I.Q. from 112.4 to 122.1. (Biofeedback and Self Regulation 1995; 20:83-99) Susan and Siegfried Othmer, 1992, in "EEG Biofeedback for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" found a Full Scale I.Q. increase from 114 to 137. From a parent follow-up "some months after the completion of the EEG training" the Othmers also found that the most significant change was in self esteem. Numerous studies show significant improvements on the TOVA after neurotherapy. IF MY CHILD IS ON MEDICATION FOR ADHD, WHAT IS THE POSSIBILITY OF DISCONTINUING IT? From the Monastra study (2002), "…80% of the patients whose treatment included EEG biofeedback were able to decrease daily dosage of stimulant by at least 50%. By contrast, none of the patients who did not receive EEG biofeedback was able to reduce dosage (85% increased dose)." |