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Hi Everyone,
As we had long suspected, Tomas has been diagnosed with ADD (the photo of him below with the red cap was part of the assessment). His teachers have started to remark about how much extra effort they need to make to get Tom to focus and complete his work (they sometimes put him in a cubicle with noise-cancelling headphones in hopes of reducing distractions). Things are getting challenging, and many tasks and assignments go uncompleted. Even during sports and games, Tom's attention can wander off.
Even after learning that a child has ADD, adults still tend to blame the child for things they can't necessarily control, so there's a risk of lowered confidence and anxiety about failing people's expectations.
Turning to solutions, neither Ritalin nor Adderall are that helpful (studies show the largest benefit applies to ADHD kids, and more so in terms of compliant behavior than actual better learning).
Neurofeedback appears to be the best option. It's safe, it's proven and long lasting. In short, it's a method of using biofeedback to promote regulation of brain function... essentially, helping his brain to get more used to focussing attention by 'flexing' those muscles more often. Sessions involve him completing computer modules, where the more his brainwaves are in the desired state (lowered theta), the more clear the image on the computer remains, which allows the brain to "learn" how to stay in a neutral - rather than ADD - state. It takes a while to get the hang of it, and we expect 60-90 sessions.
Unfortunately, costs are very high. This will run us approximately $8000. There are other family medical expenses, so insurance and tax deductions are only helpful at a small fraction. But, when faced with the choice of drugs, we discovered this option as a more effective and safer treatment for Tom.
We're hoping to keep this within the circle family and close friends and just get a leg up. Thanks for reading, we appreciate you all!
Love Meaghan, Pete, Tomas, and Erik
FYI: Lots of solid evidence backing neurofeedback for ADD
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19715181 " conclude that neurofeedback treatment for ADHD can be considered "Efficacious and Specific" (Level 5) with a large ES for inattention and impulsivity and a medium ES for hyperactivity."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10457815 "The average gain for the full scale IQ equivalent scores was 12 points. ...the positive outcomes of decreased ADD symptoms plus improved academic and intellectual functioning suggest that the use of neurofeedback plus training in metacognitive strategies is a useful combined intervention for students with ADD"
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jclp.20124 "Research has shown that neurofeedback outcomes compare favorably to those of stimulant medication"
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812000614 "The subject showed an improvement in emotional reaction, a reduction in self injuries and oppositional behavior, and a better social relationship."
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J184v04n01_02 "Neurofeedback training is effective in remediating attentional dysfunction"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12557451?dopt=Abstract">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12557451?dopt=Abstract "...only those who had received EEG biofeedback sustained these gains when tested without Ritalin"
As we had long suspected, Tomas has been diagnosed with ADD (the photo of him below with the red cap was part of the assessment). His teachers have started to remark about how much extra effort they need to make to get Tom to focus and complete his work (they sometimes put him in a cubicle with noise-cancelling headphones in hopes of reducing distractions). Things are getting challenging, and many tasks and assignments go uncompleted. Even during sports and games, Tom's attention can wander off.
Even after learning that a child has ADD, adults still tend to blame the child for things they can't necessarily control, so there's a risk of lowered confidence and anxiety about failing people's expectations.
Turning to solutions, neither Ritalin nor Adderall are that helpful (studies show the largest benefit applies to ADHD kids, and more so in terms of compliant behavior than actual better learning).
Neurofeedback appears to be the best option. It's safe, it's proven and long lasting. In short, it's a method of using biofeedback to promote regulation of brain function... essentially, helping his brain to get more used to focussing attention by 'flexing' those muscles more often. Sessions involve him completing computer modules, where the more his brainwaves are in the desired state (lowered theta), the more clear the image on the computer remains, which allows the brain to "learn" how to stay in a neutral - rather than ADD - state. It takes a while to get the hang of it, and we expect 60-90 sessions.
Unfortunately, costs are very high. This will run us approximately $8000. There are other family medical expenses, so insurance and tax deductions are only helpful at a small fraction. But, when faced with the choice of drugs, we discovered this option as a more effective and safer treatment for Tom.
We're hoping to keep this within the circle family and close friends and just get a leg up. Thanks for reading, we appreciate you all!
Love Meaghan, Pete, Tomas, and Erik
FYI: Lots of solid evidence backing neurofeedback for ADD
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19715181 " conclude that neurofeedback treatment for ADHD can be considered "Efficacious and Specific" (Level 5) with a large ES for inattention and impulsivity and a medium ES for hyperactivity."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10457815 "The average gain for the full scale IQ equivalent scores was 12 points. ...the positive outcomes of decreased ADD symptoms plus improved academic and intellectual functioning suggest that the use of neurofeedback plus training in metacognitive strategies is a useful combined intervention for students with ADD"
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jclp.20124 "Research has shown that neurofeedback outcomes compare favorably to those of stimulant medication"
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042812000614 "The subject showed an improvement in emotional reaction, a reduction in self injuries and oppositional behavior, and a better social relationship."
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J184v04n01_02 "Neurofeedback training is effective in remediating attentional dysfunction"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12557451?dopt=Abstract">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12557451?dopt=Abstract "...only those who had received EEG biofeedback sustained these gains when tested without Ritalin"