The Advantages Of Neurofeedbak In Children With ADHD
As the ways of integrating technology in the treatment of psychological problems advance, the repertoire of tools with which to help all types of patients is expanding.
This is especially important when intervening in boys and girls with problems of this kind, since the first years of life are an age group in which we are very vulnerable; Complications in the maturational development of the brain can generate a domino effect of more serious consequences than those they would suffer if they began to develop these disorders in adulthood.
In fact, One of these tools based on the use of technological solutions, Neurofeedback, is widely used to intervene in ADHD , one of the disorders that cause the most problems in school-age boys and girls. Let’s see what it consists of and how it is applied in these cases.
Neurofeedback is a technique based on recording brain activity (in the form of waves) to provide feedback that the patient can use to self-regulate the brain’s functioning patterns. In other words, it allows you to visualize the level of brain activity in real time in order to correct certain tendencies and readjust some mental processes.
On the other hand, Neurofeedback belongs to a group of techniques belonging to the Biofeedback category, in which the person obtains information about what is happening in their body: heart rate, neuronal activity, muscle tone, etc.
For its part, ADHD, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is a psychological alteration that is expressed since childhood and in which problems arise to concentrate and maintain consistency in completing tasks. Children with ADHD find it very difficult to stay focused on school lessons, for example, and even to sit still in their desk chair.
Thus, ADHD very negatively affects school performance and makes it difficult to take advantage of the years of formal education. Additionally, people with ADHD show a higher risk of addictions, anxiety disorders, and other complications.
Advantages of Neurofeedback in children with ADHD
As we have seen, Neurofeedback emphasizes the need to learn to self-regulate by learning about what is happening in our body. This is the logic that he uses as a tool that helps people with ADHD; Let’s see what benefits it provides as therapeutic support in these cases.
1. Enhances the patient’s level of autonomy
The main objective of Neurofeedback is to “train” the patient in the task of recognizing the signals that their own body sends them to understand its activation status. This means that as the sessions progress, this non-verbal knowledge is consolidated in the patient’s memory, so that they cannot stop taking it into account and take advantage of it spontaneously to better manage the way in which the situations affect them. distractions, anxiety, impulses, etc.
2. It does not require a great command of the language
Child and adolescent therapy is characterized by taking into account the verbal limitations of a type of patient who has not yet fully mastered abstract thinking or introspection. However, Neurofeedback circumvents these kinds of limitations, because It is not based on the use of words or reflection, but on implicit learning
Unlike what happens with other therapeutic resources, such as stimulant-type psychotropic drugs that are sometimes prescribed to treat ADHD, Neurofeedback has no side effects, since it is only based on the behavior and potential of each person. to self-regulate their level of activation and attentional management. Furthermore, it is a painless technique, since although it records brain activity, it does not pierce the skin.
