Categories
ADHD ASD Kids

Julian, 11, suspected ASD, ADHD

Julian, 11, suspected ASD, ADHD

julian, 11, shy and suspected ASD / ADHD with behavioral issues, all resolved within three months and twenty neurofeedback sessions, seen happy

Behavioural issues resolved within five sessions

Julian, just turned 11, introduced himself with “I’m Julian.  I have ADHD”.  His self-esteem was on the floor. 

Shy and well-behaved, his demeanour contrasted with the behaviour issues his mother deemed most pressing.  Her altercations with Julian were daily, prompted by incidences where things didn’t go as imagined or hoped for by him, and turning into a self-fuelling rage that would spoil the entire weekend.  His focus was poor, conversations marred by distractions (“jibberish”, in her words), relative maturity low for his age group and he fortunately attended a school that catered for his academic performance and social needs.  

A year of psychotherapy almost landed him with an autism assessment, and he hated the various other therapeutic procedures he had to endure that aimed at helping his physical coordination issues. 

 

julian, 11, shy and suspected ASD / ADHD with behavioral issues, all resolved within three months and twenty neurofeedback sessions

Within two weeks, or four sessions, his behaviour had taken a turn; in his mother’s words:

"I wanted to mention that we have noticed improvement with Julian.  

He is calmer, less reactive and when he gets frustrated he manages to calm himself down.  

Not sure if it's a temporary thing, but this weekend was all right :)"

Continued Training from Sessions 5-20

Far from temporary, his maturation accelerated noticeably in the following weeks.  

A family trip was described as “the best vacation we’ve ever had!” by his mother.  While on holiday, he learned to scuba dive, and his parents noticed that he was asking coherent, thoughtful and relevant questions during the instruction.  Anxieties and fears dropped noticeably, attention and focus improved, childish behaviour – such as “class clown” attempts at drawing attention – ceased, and he became involved in extracurricular school activities.  

Functional connectivity improves with neurofeedback training as measured with a brain map

Julian’s brain maps confirmed the transition he was going through.  He had skipped years of physical maturation that should have taken place, especially in his prefrontal cortex.  Functional connectivity of brain areas responsible for behaviour, focus and sense of self had improved substantially, as – notably – had his motor skills.  Julian’s trajectory has changed from spiralling into lower depths of special needs diagnoses, to establishing a confident, engaged and healthy risk-taking personality.  With these new acquired powers, he is able to shape his own future in a way that helps sustain his progress. 

Does it last?  Yes.  A year later Julian is thriving at school and socially.  

We all evolve, and life throws us challenges.  Key to improvement is being equipped with the right tools – cortical maturity and functional connectivity in this case – that help us create positive feedback loops within our environment.  

Twenty sessions helped liberate this young man immensely.  With neurofeedback training we can address developmental issues.

Categories
ADHD ASD Kids

Viktor, 15, autistic traits, ADHD

Viktor, 15, autistic traits, ADHD

Anusha, 9, autism and ADHD, playing a complicated jig-saw puzzle after 12 sessions of neurofeedback training that were transformative in her development

One year of neurofeedback training resolved autistic traits, ADHD and medication

Summary:

Victor, a 16-year-old student about to enter year 11 (10th grade), faced significant challenges in his life, particularly related to mental health issues. His parents were deeply concerned about his ability to start the school year at his boarding school. He had experienced panic attacks, engaged in excessive checking behaviors, and struggled to socialize, even with familiar individuals.

Victor had a history of mental health issues, including an ADHD diagnosis at a young age. He had been prescribed stimulant medication, which had initially been helpful but had lost its effectiveness over time. Additionally, Victor displayed several symptoms associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), such as deficits in social functioning, repetitive behaviors, inflexibility with routines, and difficulties with perspective-taking.

Neurofeedback training was initiated, and Victor’s brain map confirmed many of these traits, along with other vulnerabilities. He showed signs of sensory overwhelm and hypervigilance, as well as various anxiety markers, mood control issues, distractibility, and low self-worth.

As Victor underwent neurofeedback sessions while watching light comedies and series, he began to experience increased calm and self-assuredness. Notably, his mother expressed concern about his continued panic attacks and his ongoing use of stimulant medication. After discontinuing the medication, Victor’s anxiety significantly decreased.

By mid-term, Victor’s self-confidence had improved, and he had made friends at his boarding school. He began participating in extracurricular activities, which was a positive change from his previous social isolation. His parents noted his emotional progress and newfound maturity.

However, Victor’s academic performance was lagging, resulting in poor mock-GCSE exam results. To address this, he received additional support and guidance for self-study, as well as limits on his game console use. His parents worked to help him structure his self-study time, and they implemented sanctions.

The continuation of neurofeedback training from January through May focused on addressing Victor’s anxiety related to upcoming exams and improving his focus, motivation, and sequencing of actions. This effort paid off as Victor began studying more effectively, and his attention and interest in subjects improved. He successfully navigated his GCSE exams, and his parents organized an internship for him over the summer.

Despite his success during the exam period, Victor experienced conflict with his father, which resulted in a return of checking behaviors, difficulties sleeping, and apprehension about the upcoming internship. A few neurofeedback sessions helped him regain his composure and assert himself in expressing his desires and boundaries. Victor showed significant personal growth throughout this period, transforming from a shy, underperforming child into a more self-assured and confident individual.

Victor's Full Story:

Victor is 16 years old.  A year ago, his parents were extremely concerned about his ability to start the school year at his boarding school.  About to enter year 11, or 10th grade, he would be due to sit his GCSE exams that are hugely important for university application.  His self-confidence was decimated; he was suffering frequent panic attacks; engaged in checking behaviour regarding fire safety and other hazards; felt unable to socialise, even with familiar persons; and his constant anxieties were a burden on him and his parents. 

Victor had a history of mental health issues and his mother engaged both a psychiatrist and life coach since he was nine years old.  Diagnosed with ADHD at this early age, he was prescribed stimulant medication, which had initially boosted his confidence and raised his academic performance substantially; however the positive effects had abated in recent years as his grades slumped, confidence eroded and the (low) dosage was maintained.  Victor was also found to have three out of five assessed ASD symptoms:

  • Deficits in social functioning: Victor appeared oblivious to social boundaries and conversational cues, masked in part by shyness and hypervigilance, especially in unfamiliar surroundings.  His friendships were limited to peers he had grown up with and who were now in different schools, and on steeper academic trajectories that widened the gap in their interests and ambitions; at his boarding school, he showed loner qualities despite social encouragement from his housemaster and activity organisers
  • Mild repetitive, restrictive habits of self-regulation, such as resorting to playing console games for hours on end despite every effort to present him with social engagements and activites; and a hyperfixation on following his favourite sports of basketball and football (soccer), a motivation and interest that did not translate into any other subject areas, including school
  • Inflexibility with regard to changes of plans and daily routines; a need to understand exactly what new experiences such as travel and activities would entail, accompanied by a low appetite for risk, exploration and novelty; exacting requirements for food choice, preparation and presentation, for example having to clearly separate vegetables from meat on his plate, and limited options; and a complete lack of ability to sequence, plan and anticipate future developments, from daily time management, which was compensated by a tight school and after-school schedule with tutoring; to career choices and consequent school options, which contrasted starkly with his younger brother
Viktor, frustrated, medicated and suspicious of everybody; after a year of neurofeedback training, his autistic traits, ADHD resolved and he was able to quit his medication

 To his mother, Victor appeared to be living in his own fantasy world.  He was not learning essential living skills, which was not helped by possibly excessive attention and servants at home catering to his every need.  Her ambition for him to follow his father’s footsteps in attending a prestigious US university and becoming a successful banker seemed far removed from Victor’s lack of vision and engagement with his environment.  The immediate disconnect however materialised in his parents’ concern that he felt unable to commence this crucial school year. 

A few weeks into his first term, we began neurofeedback training with a brain map and a first session on a Saturday, as he had chosen not to take part in weekend activities at school and preferred to return home.  His brain map confirmed many of the traits above, and showed other vulnerabilities.  Of particular concern was a sense of feeling sensory overwhelm that contributed to his rigidity of thought.  He mentioned that he felt that at times he thought people were talking about him, when in fact they weren’t.  Various trauma markers showed up, as did social and general anxieties, mood control and motivation issues, severe distractibility, personal space and social boundary issues, feelings of guilt and a lacking sense of self-worth, organisational and executive deficiencies, self-absorbtion and tendency to prioritise internal content, a lack of sense for the intention of others and an active, unfulfilled search for being part of a group or greater cause.  Structurally, his brain had developed soundly and in line with expectations, which was encouraging.  

Victor enjoyed the neurofeedback sessions, choosing light comedies and series such as “Friends” and “Ted Lasso”, which he could watch for two hours at a time.  He began feeling calmer and more self-assured.  After the fifth session, his mother expressed concern that his panic attacks had not subsided, occurring especially when left to his own devices.  Victor was still taking stimulant medication prescribed for his ADHD diagnosis, and in consultation with him and his psychiatrist, he agreed to stop taking it, particularly as he felt they were no longer of any benefit to him.  Within two sessions, his anxieties had dropped immensely and he reported no further panic attacks.  It is noteworthy that a brain map after the tenth session showed a remarkable change in his ability to take on different perspectives and proneness to relational thinking, or the sense that everything is directed at oneself, which can be a precursor or constituent of psychosis.  We will never know whether it was the stimulant medication in the first place that instituted this vulnerability, and/or whether neurofeedback training made him more sensitive to the medication and thus helped him transition off it. 

Viktor finding acceptance and friendships after a year of neurofeedback training

By mid-term, Victor expressed that he “felt really good about myself”, and the family trip abroad went well, without the expected fallbacks.  He also enjoyed a much daunted school trip, getting to know other peers from different classes.  By Christmas, he felt free from anxieties and of particular note, had established a circle of friends at boarding school that gave him confidence and a sense of belonging.  He started to remain at school some weekends, joining the tennis team and other extracurricular activities.  Victor’s parents were delighted by his emotional progress.  In parallel, it was noticeable how Victor was maturing emotionally, exemplified by his choices of movies, and comments on their content and plot developments.  He asked his parents to talk him to theatre performances during this time, and was commended for his performance and initiative in his school drama class.

Victor’s academic performance however had been lagging, and the mock-GCSEs before his mid-term break produced atrocious results.  His mother was panicking, and his father upset.  Provided with every tutoring resource, Victor appeared not to be able to manage his own time, and although his tutors reported a new level of focus they had not seen in him before, this was still conditional on substantial guidance and ‘warm-up’ in each session.  It seemed that he was not provided with guidance and micromanagement of his self-study time, nor did Victor seem to feel accountable for his performance.  A new plan was instated to help him structure his self-study, as well as sanctions on his game console use. 

We continued with neurofeedback training from January through May, managing Victor’s natural anxieties regarding the upcoming exams, as well as working on sites relating to focus, distractibility, motivation and sequencing of actions.  His tutors found that this worked – Victor was studying more effectively by himself, and his attention and interest in subject matter were transformed.  GCSE exams are spread over the course of a month, and his mother was happy with his mental state, stating that he was “in a good space”.  Victor seemed to hold up under the pressure, and made sure to integrate as much sports and activity into his limited free time as possible for balance.  His parents were optimistic about his prospects, and organised an internship for him over the summer.

Viktor getting good school results after a year of neurofeedback training which resolved his autistic traits, ADHD and quit his medication

During the last week of exams, with the internship looming, Victor fell out with his father.  Their relationship had never been close, as Victor felt a sense of pressure and expectations he couldn’t live up to.  Suddenly, checking behaviour he had not shown for many months reappeared, and he had difficulties falling asleep.  The upcoming placement became a daunting prospect, and his father became angry at his lack of enthusiasm, culminating in various confrontations.  This contrasted strongly with the way Victor had managed his exam period.  We did three sessions before his summer vacation, which calmed him substantially and helped with the guilt and disappointment he feared to have caused.  Victor appeared to have been pushed too far by his father’s ambitions, stood his ground with respect to his desire, which was to relax and spend time with his friends after the stressful exam period, and asserted himself naturally.  There was a noticeably stronger sense of self, and Victor appeared to be a transformed person from the shy, underperforming child he presented as less than a year earlier.

Viktor happy with friends after a year of neurofeedback training
Categories
ADHD ASD Kids

Farouk, 9, autistic traits, ADHD

Farouk, 9, autistic traits, ADHD

Farouk, 9, a strong chess player, had autistic traits, ADHD and sleep issues, which resolved within twenty-five sessions of neurofeedback training

Twenty-five Neurofeedback sessions and Farouk's social problems resolved

Summary:

Farouk, a 9-year-old boy, exhibited a range of challenging behaviors, which prompted his parents to seek a psychiatric assessment. He had been diagnosed with ADHD and displayed subclinical autistic traits, and stimulant medication exacerbated his symptoms. Farouk’s mother had several concerns:

1. **Lack of Empathy:** Farouk often laughed at the suffering of his schoolmates, making him appear cruel and indifferent. This behavior led to hostility at school and issues at home.

2. **Loner Qualities:** Farouk had difficulty making friends and frequently exhibited loner qualities, both at school and in social settings.

3. **Inflexibility and Impulsive Aggression:** He insisted on getting his way and resisted compromise. This behavior caused significant friction at home, as everything had to revolve around him, leading to exhaustion for his family members.

4. **Attention-Seeking Behavior and Hyperactivity:** Farouk excelled in individual sports but struggled with team activities. He often received sanctions at school for disruptive behavior and became suspicious and hypervigilant.

5. **Mild Repetitive, Restrictive Behavior and Interests:** He could spend hours watching cartoons and had intense interests in collecting Transformers and performing magic tricks.

6. **Sleep Issues:** Farouk had difficulty falling asleep at an appropriate time and woke up early, which negatively affected both his rest and his parents’ well-being.

Neurofeedback training began with skepticism from Farouk’s parents, who had previously tried various approaches without success. However, Farouk’s interest in magic tricks and the promise of a reward eventually led him to cooperate with the training. Initial qEEG recording confirmed his behavioral traits and sleep issues.

During neurofeedback sessions, Farouk’s hyperactive and impulsive nature required a careful, authoritative yet accommodating approach. Sessions initially involved short content like cartoons, which he commented on, and progressed to feature films over time. Farouk’s parents organized physical activities around sessions to prepare him and reduce hyperactivity. Strict adherence to mealtimes was maintained.

After five sessions, Farouk displayed increased overall calmness, developed insights into his behavior, and expressed feelings of guilt and remorse for his pranks. Sleep issues persisted.

Subsequent sessions showed slow progress, but a remap revealed structural and mood control improvements. A change in protocols, focusing on sleep-related issues, led to significant progress. Farouk accepted the need for more sleep, which reflected positively in his behavior.

By the 25th session, eight months into the training, Farouk had made significant improvements. He was accepted by his classmates, no longer considered the “class clown,” and began forming friendships. His sleep substantially improved, and he exhibited emotional maturity, creating a more harmonious home environment. His parents were appreciative of the progress, and Farouk continued on a new, positive trajectory beyond the training.

Farouk's Full Story:

Farouk is 9 years old.  Growing up perfectly bilingual, he is an outstanding academic performer, excellent at chess and mathematics, and attends a strict school with structured after-school activities.  He was diagnosed with ADHD and some subclinical autistic traits, which stimulant medication exacerbated.  Highly energetic, Farouk was difficult to manage in his home environment, and his mother had the following concerns that led her to seek a psychiatric assessment: 

  • Lack of empathy: Farouk would laugh at his schoolmates sufferings, such as when someone fell or hurt themselves, or performed badly.  This made him appear cruel and indifferent at times, generating hostility at school and also at home with regard to his younger brother
  • Loner qualities: Farouk found himself frequently ostracised as a result, and also didn’t seek out friendships and alliances at school by himself
  • Inflexibility and impulsive aggression: Farouk consistently insisted on getting his own way, and when met with rational resistance, would persist out of apparent spite, unwilling to accept reason or engage in negotiation.  This caused much friction at home, as everything had to revolve around him, and his energy and persistence would wear down his family members to the extent that they learned to acquiesce and accommodate him in every way, often to their own detriment.  Farouk’s outbursts whenever he was confronted with any sign of resistance were compounded by his physicality, and induced weariness and hypervigilance in parents, while his younger brother was often not getting the attention he required.  The family had even moved home to accommodate his desire for a bigger room.  His mother felt unable to provide him with the requisite warmth and emotional support out of sheer exhaustion, which was a sensitive topic as she realised he felt underloved.  The father was largely absent and concerned with his business, and Farouk was often left in his room under camera supervision.
  • Attention seeking behaviour and hyperactivity: Farouk also excelled at individual sports such as swimming and karate, while showing no interest in team activities.  His school was strict and structured, and he frequently received sanctions as a result of disruptive behaviour.  He was also easily recruited into performing pranks to impress his schoolmates, leading to a suspension that compounded his adversarial outlook towards authority.  Farouk often felt betrayed, and not part of a group or bigger cause.  He became hypervigiliant and suspicious, and his moods fluctuated substantially
  • Mild repetitive, restrictive behaviour and interests: Farouk could watch comedy cartoons for hours on end and was very hostile towards curtailment of his screentime.  While his sports activities were varied and his intellectual capacity wide, he immersed himself into new passions with exclusive intensity; this included Transformers, the collection of which dominated his bedroom; and magic tricks (and pranks!) that he would perform to his parents’ and schoolmates’ exhaustion
  • Sleep was an issue: Farouk would not get to sleep before 10pm, and was awake at first light, which could be very early in the summer months.  Besides being inadequate rest for a 9 year-old, this also deprived the parents of their deserved recuperation.

When we began neurofeedback training at his home, his parents were wary of his willingness to cooperate, as well as the effect it could have, as they’d tried various approaches before, unsuccessfully, and were worn down by him to the extent it became a strain on their own relationship.  Farouk entered the room with suspicion, and seeing that someone new was willing to give him attention, began showing me some magic tricks.  We then suggested a brain map to him, and a knee-jerk reaction of “I’m not doing it!” quickly ceded to intrigue and interest.  He quickly relented, having built up some trust, and also with the promise of a reward and the threat of sanctions by his mother.  We did a twenty-minute qEEG recording, which confirmed the traits above.  It was also apparent that he was not getting the necessary sleep, and as a result some intra-cortical communication was inconsistent. 

Neurofeedback sessions with Farouk required special attention and presence:  He was thrilled at the one-on-one attention of someone he could present his latest tricks and insights to, and once settled, had to check the workspace for pranks, such as magnets under the table on which the equipment was set up.  We began with some youtube tricks, usually pranks, sports failures and cartoons, and he demanded my full attention to the content, which he would comment on.  Vigorous, unexpected jerky movements commanded another eye on the equipment and cables, and demanded a calming, authoritative yet accommodating presence.  We then eased into feature films, which he could watch for at most a half hour initially, losing interest in plot and character development.  This improved with every session, and his immersion evolved quickly.  Content had to be moderated to avoid repetition of a theme (Transformers) and over-activation, sometimes involving negotiation and distraction.  Still, we were able to do two-hour sessions that generally left him in a state of calm focus.  His parents would structure physical activity around the sessions to prepare him beforehand, and deplete any remaining hyperactivity after.  Strict adherence to mealtimes he was accustomed to had to be respected. 

Within five sessions, Farouk became noticeable calmer in general.  He began to develop an insight into some of his more adversarial behaviour, expressing feelings of guilt and remorse when he was reprimanded for attention-seeking pranks.  He was sensitive to his mother’s admonishments, and she too was able to engage more emotionally with him.  Sleep was still an issue.

We continued the weekly sessions, and for the next ten sessions, improvements seemed slow.  A remap showed considerable changes however, in particular with regard to structural maturation as well as mood control.  His parents were distracted by family and business matters, and his younger brother required more of their attention during this time. 

A change in protocols prompted by the remap let us address other issues that are usually more tangentially related to sleep, but proved highly effective.  Farouk began to accept that he needed more sleep and no longer resisted bedtime reminders and his habit of secretly reading and playing when the lights were turned off, as he admitted to his mother.  He also ‘overslept’, in his own words, and it became a competition with his brother as to who could wake up later.  This was a relative concept, as it still meant a 7am rise, even on weekends, though his sleep time would average in excess of eight hours for the first time. 

The remap had convinced the parents that progress was still being made, and the sessions were worth the investment.  By session twenty-five, we had been working together for eight months, including various vacation times.  The results were now evident:  Farouk had found acceptance by his classmates for whom he was, rather than ‘class clown’.  Friends (!) came to play with him at his house, and the long school bus trips were no longer incident-prone.  His sleep improved substantially, reflecting in his demeanour, composition, brain map and his parents’ ability to recuperate, all of which resulted in a noticeably more harmonious home setting.  He showed greatly improved emotional maturity and insights, and was entertaining his little brother in a constructive manner.  His parents were happy and appreciative, glad to have persisted.  Farouk was on a new trajectory that he maintained post training. 

Categories
ASD Kids

Kamran, 7, ASD

Kamran, 7, ASD

Kamran's autistic traits resolved in thirty neurofeedback sessions, including repetitive rituals, speech development, tantrums, and lack of empathy, with Daniel Webster

Behaviour and Speech Transformed.

Kamran's Full Story:

Kamran is seven years old.  We began neurofeedback training at age five, and he has made transformational progress since.

Since his infancy, Kamran’s mother knew he was developing differently.  Diagnosed with autism at the earliest point, his symptoms manifested as:

  • Inflexibility with regard to activities and actions counter to his strong determination. A sense of consideration for others, recruitability and adaptation never developed.  Any suggestion he did not like resulted in impulsive, aggressive outbursts and tantrums until he had his way.
  • Speech did not develop beyond a few favoured expressions he appeared to embrace mainly for their melodic prosody. Trying both English and Farsi, he took to neither, seemingly rejecting the use of language as a means of expressing his needs, and gesticulations were mainly aggressive and inconsiderate of the ‘other’, including his little sister.
  • Empathy and a sense for others’ feelings or emotions were absent, except for expressions of joy upon gratification of his needs and wishes, and overt dismay at not getting his way. His intrinsic positivity made it hard to infer cruelty either though when he pushed other kids over and they cried with pain.
  • Loud noises and sudden movements would cause him to freeze in a state of fright, followed by emotional outbursts and aggression that would take time to calm him down from and severely interrupt any planned activities.
  • Repetitive rituals enveloped him in a cloud of self-absorbed satisfaction. He could repeat a sequence of pretending to wash his hands and dry them under a hand dryer drawn on the bathroom wall tiles for a long time.  TV content was limited to his favourite youtube videos, mainly involving trains, although “Mr. Tumble” could provide some intermittent relief.  Doors were a particular fascination, as he repeatedly opened and slammed them with glee, to the extent that all doors inside the house had to be removed.

Physically, Kamran developed beyond milestones for his age; his coordination was good as was his sense of satiety.  He was highly energetic, jumping on sofas, running around the house making noises, and repeating his favourite act of sliding down the stairs (under close supervision) until exhaustion.  He became so strong by age five that his wanton pushes and punches were fearsome, particularly as they were unpredictable.  Kamran’s mother and two sisters were constantly challenged, and injury-prone; his mother had to cut her hair very short to avoid him ripping at it. 

The three sisters were challenged to the state of exhaustion each day, and had the additional stress of an inconsiderate neighbour who not only banged on the walls, which set Kamran off, but also expressed his intolerance by shouting abuse across the garden wall, confronted them physically, and smashed their car window twice.  The police were deemed unhelpful and the sisters took it upon themselves to document the terror and launch civil proceedings, finally leading to his prosecution and eviction years later.

School was a temporary relief, though frequent incidents required their premature attendance to pick him up and bring him to his familiar environment.  He was the highest physical achiever in his class, and they thought he had few role models there, despite its specialisation.  He was not advancing with regard to verbal skills, literacy or numeracy, and did not interact socially with others, though happy in his own world. 

Behaviour and Sensory Integration in 15 Sessions:

When Kamran started neurofeedback age five, he was not ready to enter a new environment, not least due to his fascination with doors.  We therefore did sessions at his home, after he had been playing actively in the park, bathed twice, sat with his mother on the sofa while one sister massaged his feet and another fed him his favourite treat, pomegranate seeds with ice cream.  We eased him into the process by starting with his favourite youtube clip of an empty Underground train on the London Circle Line, and set about getting him used to wearing three electrodes while doing ILF / Othmer Method neurofeedback training for calming. 

After two such half-hour sessions, we felt confident enough to try putting a shower cap-like hat with nineteen electrodes on his head for a qEEG recording.  He was familiar enough with myself and the process that this worked straight away, and we obtained sufficient recording material for a brain map analysis. 

This revealed multiple sources of fear and anxiety; mood control and focus issues; and Default Mode Network irregularities.  Equipped with this knowledge, we then conducted Default Network Training, a set of much stronger and targeted protocols personalised to his needs, in the same manner as before, yet with far more substantial training effects.  Within two sessions, we were also able to increase session time to 1-1.5h, leaving him calm enough for bedtime.

Kamran, 7, with non-verbal autism looking at trains which he enjoyed while engaging with neurofeedback training

Kamran’s progress from weekly neurofeedback sessions started to show quickly.  His sensitivity to sound and new situations became much attenuated.  Unexpected outcomes, changes to his routine, and suggestions of new activities were no longer triggers after the fifth session.  His mother and aunts reported that they could feel a new warmth, an appreciation of others, and sensed a new team member.  This particular step was impressive, while hard to describe, and defined the beginning of an emotional journey. 

Kamran’s interaction with his little sister became more considerate, which helped with Azadeh’s emotional stability.  He appeared to sense when he had hit someone too hard, or rather the difference between punching the sofa or a person, though both were still fairly common.  He was able to focus on engaging, changing tasks for longer and his play began to involve figures.  His carers reduced the amount of toys and distractions, and he found solace in being read stories with pictures. 

Repetitive, restrictive behaviour, which ranged from wanting to watch the same (train) youtube clip over and over again, to enacting hand-washing and drying procedures in an imaginary bathroom drawn on kitchen tiles, became significantly reduced.  More engaged with his toys and other children, Kamran was less anxious and risk-averse; curiosity began to take over.

We continued with weekly sessions, which were now consistently 1.5h, able to vary and advance the content.  Kamran’s sense for expressions and commands appeared to become more nuanced.  There appeared to be greater room for negotation and flexibility, and his carers felt like they were breaking habits.  Kamran seemed more open to trying new things and could more easily be pursuaded to engage in activities outside his regimented timetable.  He would often fall back into his successful mode of negotiation – an aggressive tantrum.  Yet his carers persisted in explaining cause and effect, and describing in details new ways of doing things or what to expect in outings, which piqued his interest and attention.  Kamran was becoming noticeably more easy to handle, and we had completed fifteen sessions by then, in three months.

 

Behaviour Improved, Speech Next..

Meanwhile, Kamran’s expressions began to adopt more purpose and structure.  Absent physical impediments to his speech, and in light of a bilingual setting, a more targeted strategy for his speech development was sought.  It was clear by now that he understood verbal commands and emotional content, yet the habit of forcing his way needed to yield to negotiated interaction. 

A speech therapist at his school was engaged and proved useful.  Combining the effort of structured communication with rewards sufficiently incentivised Kamran to attempt more complicated verbal endeavours.  He was also able to join a different class where he was deemed an intermediate performer, having ‘role models’ as well as examples of behaviour challenges he had meanwhile mastered.  

As Kamran’s behaviour and flexibility improved, and he was making commendable progress at school, so did his engagement with his environment.  He became more inquisitive, and probed for reactions in more subtle, mature ways.  Making his will known now involved short instructive sentences, and previously made up words and descriptions morphed into ones he’d heard.  

Speech is an interactive process.  There are specific brain areas responsible for comprehension and word generation, yet the overall process requires engagement with another person, and thus recruits more social brain areas, as well as motor and motivation.  As Kamran’s self-awareness and ability to model others’ behaviour improved, so did his engagement with his surroundings.  There appeared to be no mechanical or motor issue with speech utterance, and began to surprise with his vocabulary, clearly conscious of his verbal surroundings.  

After thirty neurofeedback sessions (in six months), Kamran had become significantly more attentive to verbal instructions, and was able to communicate his needs and desires in brief sentences.  He was questioning the development and visual aspects of stories read to him, and could listen to lengthier explanations.  

Continued Improvements...

Kamran continued to improve with weekly neurofeedback sessions that accompanied his steep development trajectory for the next year.  There were multi-week gaps due to vacations, and Kamran experienced no relapse in behaviour.  His brain map indicated strong improvements in functional connectivity and notably maturation metrics.  

After 50 neurofeedback sessions, Kamran was a transformed child.  With plenty of learning ahead, his challenges became opportunities, and his new manageability provided significant relief to his carers, while his little sister became calmer too.  The abusive neighbour had been removed, and the three sisters were able to cultivate a semblance of a social life.  Kamran continues to do neurofeedback sessions, as his carers view this as an investment in both him and their own welfare. 

Categories
ASD Kids

Teodora, 3½, autistic traits

Teodora, 3½, autistic traits

Teodora, age 3, showed autistic traits and we resolved her lack of social interests, sensitivity to sound, inflexibility and tantrums, and repetitive, restrictive behaviour focused on complex tasts, within three months or ten sessions of neurofeedback training with Daniel Webster

An early Intervention resolved social functioning issues within ten sessions

Teodora, a 3½-year-old growing up in a bilingual household, exhibited certain concerning behaviors related to her social development, sensitivity to sound, inflexibility, and immersion in complex tasks. Her parents noticed her lack of interest in children her age, sensitivity to loud noises, resistance to changes in plans, and a preference for repetitive activities. Teodora also had limited exposure to and interaction with her younger sister.

Given these concerns, Teodora’s mother, with a medical background, decided to proactively seek help through neurofeedback training. The training commenced with a brain map session conducted at Teodora’s home. Her father, who was looking after the two children that day, facilitated the process. Teodora quickly developed trust and tolerance for the procedure. Her brain map revealed specific areas that needed attention, including emotional sensitivity to auditory input and markers of fear, anxiety, and hypervigilance.

The neurofeedback sessions were tailored to her age and her brain map findings. Teodora’s initial preference for a single, repetitive cartoon series, “Lule,” posed an issue as it became an essential calming necessity that she demanded to watch repeatedly before going to sleep. In response, the introduction of new content, “Peppa Pig,” helped diversify the content and reduce the obsession with “Lule.” This change marked the beginning of deeper transformations.

Within just five sessions, her father noticed significant improvements in Teodora’s demeanor. She appeared calmer, more relaxed, and free from fear. Weekend outings and social activities became possible for the family, and Teodora engaged more with her little sister.

The subsequent five sessions over two months led to substantial changes. Teodora was more at ease in her playgroup, engaging with other children, showing interest in imaginary play, and displaying improved social skills. After a total of ten sessions, Teodora’s parents were satisfied with the transformation they had witnessed. Her anxieties had decreased, she was more socially integrated, and her sensitivity to sound was barely noticeable. A follow-up brain map confirmed these positive changes, indicating growth in emotional security, understanding of social rules, respect for personal and social boundaries, reduced hypervigilance, and improved mood control, along with structural maturation. The family celebrated Teodora’s remarkable progress, highlighting the potential of neurofeedback in early intervention for developmental concerns.

Teodora's Full Story:

Teodora is 3½ years old.  Growing up in a bilingual household, she was meeting, and often exceeding, many milestones for her age.  Certain habits, and social development, were of concern to her parents from age 2, and they expressed this to their GP (medical doctor).  He advised them to wait another two or three years before applying for an assessment, as her symptoms appeared mild, and she was verbal after all.  In particular, by age 3½, her parents were worried about:

  • Lack of social interests: Teodora simply ignored children of her age in the morning playgroup she was attending.  They were of no interest to her, there was no eye contact and she appeared to treat them as objects rather than entities with needs and feelings, despite encouragement and gentle guidance.  This attitude was also displayed towards her younger sister, though she was never mean to her despite various encroachments on her play domain.  By contrast, Teodora engaged with adults very differently.  While shy and reserved, she would let ‘big people’ into her sphere of play, making eye contact when she suspected an opportunity to learn something, gain access to toys and activities she enjoyed, or demonstrated a skill such as getting a keyboard to make sounds, which she commented on in short phrases that were mainly instructions, rather than questions. 
  • Sensitivity to sound: Teodora was at ease with music that she liked, and her father’s impressive vinyl collection treated her a wide range of genres, from classical piano concertos to rock of the 70s.  She was fascinated by the electric keyboard in her living room, and warmed up to anyone playing it with skill, despite having first voiced her disapproval of new people entering her family home.  Louder, and/or unexpected sounds however startled her and could set off an outburst that she would take a while and much comforting to calm down from. 
  • Inflexibility and mild repetitive, restrictive behaviour: Teodora was inquisitive though shy, and open to new activities, however when plans did not suit her, she would become obstinate and resistant.  Rationalising and negotiation cemented her stance; her temper would flare and it would take significant time, effort and distraction to calm her down again.  One such ‘bribe’ involved watching a Romanian children’s series on her iPad, and this was the only show she tolerated; attempts to expand her interests in this regard were met with animosity and outbursts.  She could watch the same episode over and over again for hours, curtailment of which would also require significant effort and distraction.  While watching it, she was happy and attempted to copy songs and snippets of dialogue.
  • Immersion in complex tasks: Less of a concern, but noteworthy, was Teodora’s ability to solve hundred-piece puzzles, an occupation that would captivate her full attention.  Locked in her realm, she would be unphased by activity around her, even sounds or new people in the room, as she would talk to herself while demonstrating remarkable aptitude and drive until she had finished it and would announce this with pride to her proud parents.  Teodora was also able to recognise and differentiate between complex skeletal representations of organic chemistry symbols that her mother had drawn on a board for her own study, a talent the surprised parents would foster with considerable admiration.  She was able to navigate an ipad with ease, but would neither share this with her younger sister. 

Teodora’s parents had heard great things about neurofeedback in their home country, and her mother’s medical background strengthened her initiative to be proactive at the earliest stage in her child’s development. 

We began with a brain map at Teodora’s home.  Her mother was at work while her father was looking after the two young daughters, and he welcomed the social component of a new person breaking this isolated routine.  Teodora witnessed this rapport and overcame her initial suspicion and resistance quickly.  Watching and listening to someone play on the electric keyboard fascinated her, and within an hour she had built up sufficient trust to let a new person put a shower cap-like device on her head.  We obtained a qEEG recording that provided the necessary data for analysis. 

Teodora’s brain map showed the refreshing finding that she was open to new perspectives and not relational, or self-centred in her thinking, an important transition that happens between age 3-5.  She exhibited various trauma-like markers, including an emotional sensitivity to auditory input, and a sense of feeling underloved or lack of emotional sense of safety.  There were various anxiety markers, and confirmation of her hypervigilance, shyness, obstinacy, loner qualities, and mood regulation issues, while being overly primed by her environment.  Fear and anxiety were prevalent markers we needed to address while strengthening her Default Mode Network sites.

 

Social Functioning restored within ten neurofeedback session in a child

Following a short snack break, Teodora tolerated the affixing of four electrodes on her head with a sticky paste while she was watching her favourite (and at this point, only) cartoon series, “Lule”, set on repeat.  With protocols adapted to her age and brain map findings, she became noticeably calmer during each session.  Her father was initially fully present and involved in the set up, but could soon divert his attention to the younger daughter who was quietly seeking to disrupt the process with her fascination for pulling on cables unnoticed. 

Sessions were split into two one-hour segments, interrupted by a short lunch break.  Flexibility with time was essential at this stage.  There were many sites to work on during the weekly sessions, and it was helpful to be able to do two hours of effective neurofeedback time.  By the third session however, we were still watching the same content in a loop, which appeared to create an obsession:  Her mother was concerned that this particular cartoon episode became an essential calming necessity that Teodora demanded in order to go to sleep, and would have to watch at least once a day.  The following session, we introduced new content, “Peppa Pig”, which Teodora happily embraced.  This allowed us to at least watch multiple, different episodes during a session, rather than one in a loop.  Sufficient to break the obsession with Lule, the ipad was no longer a necessity for going to sleep.  It was the beginning of deeper changes.

Within five sessions, her father remarked that he could feel the difference in her demeanour.  Sensing that Teodora was much calmer, relaxed and free of fright and fear, her parents were already happy about the development as a result of their investment.  Weekend outings became a possibility that helped the family bond and the parents regain a social life. 

We continued with a further five sessions over the course of two months, and by now the results began to show true transformation.  Teodora was engaging with her little sister during play, though with the occasional frustration that her conversation attempts weren’t reciprocated as expected by the young toddler.  Carers at her playgroup remarked that she was much easier to handle and was actively engaging with other children.  This included indirect communication through imaginary play with toys, such as her favourite pony models that she would encourage others to use and create scenes and dialogue with; taking turns when asked without the usual resistance; joining groups for storytelling without prompt; and referring to some by name. 

After ten sessions in total, Teodora’s parents felt that she was on a new trajectory and were happy about the transformation.  They sensed that her anxieties had reduced substantially, shyness had ceded to healthy exploration, and sound sensitivity was barely noticeable.  Teodora was calmer, insightful when changes of plans were explained, and socially integrated.  A remap confirmed these substantial changes, including her sense of emotional security, social rules, personal and social boundaries, hypervigilance and mood control.  Another metric showed significant structural maturation. 

Categories
ADHD ASD Kids

Anusha, 9, ASD/ADHD

Anusha, 9, ASD/ADHD

Anusha, 9, presented with ASD / autism spectrum disorder symptoms, including issues with sensory integration, social cues, turn-taking, motivation and focus, tantrums and anxiety, and resolved these with 12 neurofeedback sessions in a one week intensive with Daniel Webster

One Week Intensive to Resolve Autistic Traits

Anusha, a 9-year-old who had experienced multiple school changes due to an international upbringing, presented with behavioral challenges that seemed contrary to her intrinsic personality. Her parents, particularly her mother, a medical doctor, were hesitant to consider medication and sought an alternative approach for addressing her difficulties, which included sensory integration issues, social and executive functioning delays, distractibility, impulsive aggression, and anxiety.

The family decided to explore neurofeedback as an intervention. Anusha underwent a one-week intensive neurofeedback training course in the UK during a term break. The initial session involved conducting a brain map, during which Anusha displayed a remarkable level of maturity and keenness to understand the process and its objectives. The map identified various vulnerabilities, including issues related to social understanding, impulsivity, aggression, distractibility, and fear.

The intensive training comprised twelve neurofeedback sessions in seven consecutive days, with Anusha participating in two sessions per day, each lasting two hours. Her parents utilized the breaks for outings and to provide her with diverse international cuisines. Already, her mother noticed improvements during the training week, including increased calmness, better response to changes of plans, and a more rational assertiveness.

After returning to school, her parents observed significant positive changes in Anusha’s behavior, including increased calmness, patience, and persistence. Anusha also exhibited healthier assertiveness and improved interoception, allowing her to better express her feelings and bond more closely with her family. She successfully integrated herself into a schoolyard playgroup that had previously been hostile.

A follow-up brain map at the end of the week confirmed these positive transformations, and her brain’s structural maturity metrics had also improved. Following these positive outcomes, Anusha’s mother had originally intended to continue neurofeedback training during the summer vacation. However, a psychiatric assessment conducted a few months later did not find grounds for an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. Anusha felt accepted and motivated in her school and after-school environments, and the family chose to spend their summer vacation at Disneyland instead. The intervention was successful in bringing about positive changes in Anusha’s behavior and overall well-being, contributing to her improved social and academic experiences.

Anusha's Full Story:

Anusha, age 9, had changed schools numerous times as a result of an international upbringing, from southern England to Germany and recently to France, where she experienced bullying and was now in her second school there.  Gentle, vivacious and enthusiastic about every sport and music activity offered to her, she presented with various behavioural challenges that seemed counter to her intrinsic demeanour and harmed the development of both her social and academic potential.  

Her mother, a medical doctor, was loathe to medication and thus keen to try an alternative approach, while poised to present her for a psychiatric assessment.  Her father had recently been diagnosed with ADHD, and Anusha exhibited mild autistic traits since infancy that she had so far pushed aside out of fear of stigmatisation, hoping that a ‘regular’ upbringing would resolve these.  Anusha was fluent in French and English, relished the rural setting of her new hometown in southern France, and displayed an enchanting joy of life.  Her first school experience there was overshadowed by meanness from her classmates, some of which might have been attributable to teachers actually hitting students, as the parents learned only after two terms.  She was moved to a different school, where her performance was mediocre yet the environment more benign.  Still, she was experiencing various difficulties, not integrating ideally, and appeared not to fulfil her true academic and social potential.  

Anusha’s challenges presented as follows:

sensory integration issues were noticeable since infancy.  Anusha was sensitive to loud noises and rash movements.  Music had to conform to her wishes and her parents were constantly aware of the acoustic environment in every situation, both at home and in public.  She was also terrified of heights.

social and executive functioning was deemed delayed, and partly ascribed to the frequent moves and sometimes hostile environment, as well as being an only child.  Anusha had no concept of turn-taking, frequently interrupted in conversation while not showing awareness of social cues, and was not learning to work in teams.  Playgroups she longed to join chose to ostracise her, repeatedly in each school and after-school setting.

– naturally energetic, she had trouble focussing on tasks and was easily distracted.  Completing projects and assignments required supervision, and she often lost motivation, which reduced her self-confidence and willingness to persist, explore, take risks and explore

– when things didn’t go as she expected, Anusha would become impulsively aggressive, for example breaking her cello bow in frustration during a lesson.  Practicing skills had to be supervised with patience and persistence, helping her sustain attention and maintain a positive outlook.   She would become obstinate, ‘lose her rag’ and become aggressive when her idea of a planned activity did not materialise, and was relatively inflexible with regard to changes of plans, which took substantial negotiation and incentivisation to implement in the face of rebellion and emotional outbursts.  Often, this aggression would turn into sustained rage, which she would find hard to calm down from. 

– often anxious and nervous, with a heightened sense of hypervigilance, Anusha would self-stimulate from an early age, exercising mild repetitive habits for self-regulation, such as rocking in her seat. 

Anusha came to the UK during term break for a one-week intensive neurofeedback training course.  The prospect of watching her favourite movies all day was exciting for her, especially as her screen-time was strictly controlled. 

Anusha watching TV while doing neurofeedback training

 

We began with a brain map, while answering her questions as to what we were doing and looking to achieve.  She was satisfied with the answers, understanding the rationale of helping her to maintain her calm, improve her persistence and focus, among other, and she volunteered examples of situations she would like to master better – this maturity and keenness to improve was impressive. 

The brain map confirmed her vulnerabilities:  A lack of sense of being part of something bigger, loner qualities or lack of understanding of social rules, social invasiveness, impulsive aggression and rage, distractibility and mood control issues, hypervigilance and hyperactivity, auditory hypersensitivity and fear, a recent betrayal (which she described), and a general sense of not feeling emotionally safe and being able to expand or unfold her potential.  Structurally, her brain’s maturation was slightly behind age-matched peers. 

Anusha did a one week neurofeedback intensive and got to watch her favourite movies while seeing great results for her suspected autism and ADHD

We did twelve neurofeedback sessions in seven consecutive days, involving two sessions per day of two hours each, which she greatly enjoyed.  Her parents took her swimming, shopping and to other touristic attractions during her lunch break and evenings, when she got to choose her favourite international foods.  Already, her mother remarked that she found Anusha much easier to handle, and was surprised when she calmly accepted changes of plans when an outburst was expected.  Her parents were able to visit friends and spend time together during her sessions, a welcome relief and vacation.

After a week of having returned to school, her parents noticed substantial positive changes in her behaviour.  As her mother reported:

– She was definitely calmer and less explosive, not ‘losing her rag’ when parents were conditioned to expect this, something they had already noticed during the training week and a new behaviour that persisted

– spontaneously picked up a book and started reading, which was unheard of before; she took interest in illustrations, calmly sat in her favourite chair, and developed a passion for the story she was focussed on

– showed patience and persistence; for example, Anusha tried and completed difficult jig-saw puzzle, laughing when it became particularly hard

– demonstrated a healthy and rational assertiveness in many situations; she explained to her parents that she did not enjoy a certain after school activity and had only been doing it to please them

– had and improved interoception, or ability to understand and express her feelings, letting her parents into her realm of understanding how situations at school and interactions with peers made her feel.  This was as if an invisible shield had been pierced, and both parents felt they bonded more closely with her and as a family

– successfully negotiated herself into a schoolyard playgroup which had previously been hostile towards her, which led to the prospect of sleep-overs and new friendships.

A brain map at the end of the week confirmed these transformations.  Encouragingly, her brain’s structural maturity metrics improved too, which was a positive surprise for such a short and intense training period.  

Anusha’s mother had originally planned to make another trip to the UK during the summer vacation for further neurofeedback training.  The psychiatric assessment a few months after her neurofeedback intensive found no grounds for an ASD nor ADHD diagnosis, and Anusha felt accepted and motivated in her school and after-school environments.  The family went to Disneyland instead.