Please note that currently Zenwaves does not offer ADHD testing or medication management for children under the age of 12. Children’s brains are still developing, symptoms present differently and different diagnostic tools are used. Moreover, children are more likely to develop significant side effects with medications.
However, we do offer neurofeedback for children with ADHD, which has been found to be extremely effective. We can treat clients as young as 4 years old.
At its most basic, neurofeedback retrains the brain.
The first step is to work out which parts of the brain are not working as normally expected. We do this via QEEG, also known as brain-mapping. There are multiple sub-types of ADHD, related to different issues in different parts of the brain, so it’s important to do this analysis at the start of treatment. (Compare this to someone limping – it could be because of a blister, a torn muscle, a sprained ankle or some other reason. You have to identify where the core issue is before you start treatment.)
Dr Vivek Sharma, our lead neurofeedback practitioner, will use the QEEG report to develop a customised neurofeedback treatment plan for your child.
Treatment is non-invasive. As far as your child is concerned, all they have to do is watch a video of a favourite movie or TV show, while wearing sensors on their head. Of course there’s more to it. Those sensors are tracking your child’s brain wave patterns in real time. If they’re good patterns, then the image and the sound are sharper and clearer. When the patterns are further from goal, the media quality is lower. So your child’s brain is encouraged to act in the desired way.
Over multiple sessions, the brain gets used to acting in the new way. It has been retrained. This reduces or eliminates symptoms. And best of all, since this new brain activity is now habit, the positive effects last even when treatment stops.
Every child is different.
That’s one reason we always use QEEG before using neurofeedback for ADHD treatment, in children or in adults. The information we get from QEEG helps us tailor treatment to the individual.
We also consider other treatment approaches, from diet and lifestyle changes to medication. We work with families and individuals to find the best options in each case. If you choose to use medication, there is still value in QEEG – some brainwave patterns are associated with poor results from specific drugs, which helps us predict what might or might not work for your child.
Neurofeedback requires multiple sessions to be effective, which means more of a time commitment than simply taking medication every morning. On the plus side, positive results from neurofeedback continue long after treatment finishes, and there are minimal side effects.
During treatment, we monitor progress carefully to identify what is working, and to adapt as necessary.
If you are looking for personalised ADHD treatment for your child, or if you want to explore alternatives to medication, the ZenWaves approach of neurofeedback for ADHD treatment may be a good fit for your needs.
