Autism and Neurofeedback
If you are reading this page right now, chances are that you've been affected in some way by the experience of autism. Whether it is a loved one or you are a professional who works with autistic people or perhaps you're dealing with some of the effects of autism yourself, you've come looking for some answers to one of the most complex, multi-factorial conditions that's out there. Our focus on autism has come about because of our son's profound autism and our belief that he can be brought out of his own world and into ours.
Through our search to help our son, we have used many, many modalities to help him. Some have helped immensely, some subtly and some not at all. From our experiences and research, we've come to some conclusions about autism which has formed the foundation of how we work with autism.
1) Autism is not a developmental disorder, it is a medical condition that can be treated
2) While the cause of autism is still debatable, we believe that it is a combination of trauma, toxicity, pathogens and vulnerable genetics that coalesce into the condition we call autism.
3) We do not strive to "cure" a "broken" child but rather strive to help optimize their potential
4) When the body/mind is cleared of environmental toxins and pathogens AND receives accurate and supportive feedback, we will optimize the person's capacity to have the best kind of life with the most amount of choice they can have.
5) The body/mind wants to get better, our job is to help it find the best environment for it to heal in.
Where does neurofeedback fit in?
Neurofeedback provides the person's brain with signals that help to normalize the imbalances that can occur in the autistic brain. Typically there are 6 different patterns that will show up in the autistic brain. It's rare that a person will show all six, but it's not unusual for them to have 2-4 of the patterns when we do a map.
The 6 patterns of autism on EEG are:
1) Excessive hi Beta in posterior regions of the brain. These are associated with the anxiety that we often see in ASDs.
2) Excessive frontal Delta and Theta (slow) signals. These are associated with ADD like symptoms and poor executive function.
3) Seizure and pseudo seizure activity. These may appear as anything from grand mal to absence type seizures.
4) Very low amplitude signal. This correlates well with toxicity.
5) Poor coherence between brain regions. This correlates with the ability to integrate abilities that normally work together (i.e. language comprehension and production)
6) Excessive coherence between brain areas leading to inflexibility in neurological response. The obsessive behaviour these children often show is an example of this.
Neurofeedback can address all of these patterns and help ameliorate them. In some cases, it will be the main therapy and in other cases it will be an adjunctive therapy that will accelerate the action of the primary therapy.
What Does the Science Say?
While the results that we have seen in our clinic have been very gratifying, it's also important to know what the latest research is saying about neurofeedback and autism. While autism and neurofeedback has only been studied largely in the past 15 years, the results are very promising already. Below is a list of results that multiple studies have shown using neurofeedback as a treatment of autism:
Improvements in:
Reduction in:
These studies were all done with matched control groups. These benefits were found to hold and in some instances improve further on 1 year follow ups.
For research information, please visit our Links page
Through our search to help our son, we have used many, many modalities to help him. Some have helped immensely, some subtly and some not at all. From our experiences and research, we've come to some conclusions about autism which has formed the foundation of how we work with autism.
1) Autism is not a developmental disorder, it is a medical condition that can be treated
2) While the cause of autism is still debatable, we believe that it is a combination of trauma, toxicity, pathogens and vulnerable genetics that coalesce into the condition we call autism.
3) We do not strive to "cure" a "broken" child but rather strive to help optimize their potential
4) When the body/mind is cleared of environmental toxins and pathogens AND receives accurate and supportive feedback, we will optimize the person's capacity to have the best kind of life with the most amount of choice they can have.
5) The body/mind wants to get better, our job is to help it find the best environment for it to heal in.
Where does neurofeedback fit in?
Neurofeedback provides the person's brain with signals that help to normalize the imbalances that can occur in the autistic brain. Typically there are 6 different patterns that will show up in the autistic brain. It's rare that a person will show all six, but it's not unusual for them to have 2-4 of the patterns when we do a map.
The 6 patterns of autism on EEG are:
1) Excessive hi Beta in posterior regions of the brain. These are associated with the anxiety that we often see in ASDs.
2) Excessive frontal Delta and Theta (slow) signals. These are associated with ADD like symptoms and poor executive function.
3) Seizure and pseudo seizure activity. These may appear as anything from grand mal to absence type seizures.
4) Very low amplitude signal. This correlates well with toxicity.
5) Poor coherence between brain regions. This correlates with the ability to integrate abilities that normally work together (i.e. language comprehension and production)
6) Excessive coherence between brain areas leading to inflexibility in neurological response. The obsessive behaviour these children often show is an example of this.
Neurofeedback can address all of these patterns and help ameliorate them. In some cases, it will be the main therapy and in other cases it will be an adjunctive therapy that will accelerate the action of the primary therapy.
What Does the Science Say?
While the results that we have seen in our clinic have been very gratifying, it's also important to know what the latest research is saying about neurofeedback and autism. While autism and neurofeedback has only been studied largely in the past 15 years, the results are very promising already. Below is a list of results that multiple studies have shown using neurofeedback as a treatment of autism:
Improvements in:
- Changes in attention
- cognitive flexibility
- set-shifting
- verbal & motor inhibition
- planning
- non-verbal communication
- general communication, social interaction
Reduction in:
- Behaviours
- Stims
- Anxiety
These studies were all done with matched control groups. These benefits were found to hold and in some instances improve further on 1 year follow ups.
For research information, please visit our Links page
