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Article Title:

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Innovative Therapies for ADD, ADHD, LD:

New Computer-Based Technology to Treat Attention Deficit Disorders

Article Description:

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It is estimated that over 5% of all children in North America are

experiencing at least one form of attention deficit disorder.

Both ADD and ADHD are characterized by one or more of the

following: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

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Distribution Date and Time: Thu Jun 23 14:48:24 EDT 2005

Written By: Bob Gottfried Ph.D.

Copyright: 2005

Contact Email: mailto:bob.gottfried@...

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Innovative Therapies for ADD, ADHD, LD:

New Computer-Based Technology to Treat Attention Deficit Disorders

Copyright © 2005 Bob Gottfried Ph.D.

SharperPrograms

http://www.SharperPrograms.com

Background

It is estimated that over 5% of all children in North America are

experiencing at least one form of attention deficit disorder.

Both ADD and ADHD are characterized by one or more of the

following: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Learning

disabilities are characterized by one or more difficulties

associated with attention, reading, writing, oral language,

reasoning, memorizing, and problem solving. Further difficulties

may include compromised organizational skills and social

interaction.

The question of whether or not attention deficit disorders can be

remedied has received significant attention from many

researchers. Treating children and adolescents with stimulants

(for instance Ritalin), has proven to be helpful but is limited

by side effects and tolerance. The introduction of Neurofeedback

(also known as EEG Biofeedback), has offered new hope for parents

wanting to help resolve the attention related problems of their

children without the use of medication. Neurofeedback research

has shown that training brain wave patterns can remedy cognitive

impairment associated with attention deficit related to ADD,

ADHD, LD.

Brain wave activity and Attentional Shifting

The brain produces different frequencies for different levels of

attention. They include the following:

Delta – sleep state

Theta – between sleep and awake, also a meditative state

Alpha – relaxed state

Beta1 – focused concentration

Beta2 – alert state

Beta3 – very alert, vigilant

Beta4 – Hyper vigilant

The ability to produce the right states, especially those

associated with focus and attention is paramount to be able to

perform a variety of cognitive tasks such as listening, learning

and processing information, in general. In addition, the ability

to shift from one state to another when required, offers

tremendous mental flexibility, which results in enhanced mental

performance in every area of life.

The Use of Neurofeedback in Treating Attentional Difficulties

Neurofeedback, which is a form of biofeedback, has been used for

over 20 years to treat concentration related difficulties

associated with ADD/ADHD and LD. In general, Neurofeedback is a

modality which uses an EEG recording system along with training

software to enhance brain wave activity that is instrumental for

improving concentration.

The premise behind Neurofeedback is related to earlier findings

which established that individuals with poor concentration lack

sufficient levels of Beta1 (This band is also called SMR - short

for sensory motor rhythms) brain waves to sustain attention. The

findings also showed that individuals with attention deficits

exhibit excessive amounts of slow brain wave activity, especially

Theta waves. Lubar, a pioneer in this field, demonstrated

that treatment modalities focusing on enhancing the Beta1/Theta

ratio have been very effective in treating children with

attention deficits and learning disabilities, which usually

resulted in improved school performance and better behavior

control. During Neurofeedback sessions, the person wishing to

enhance concentration and improve attention and focus, uses

feedback coming through an EEG machine to enhance Beta1 and

decrease Theta. After a certain amount of training, typically

between 40 and 60 sessions, the individual is able to produce

more Beta1 at will. Lubar also proved that all children

experiencing any form of learning disabilities demonstrated low

amounts of Beta1 waves and that many of the symptoms diminished

after a process of brain wave training.

Neurofeedback treatment can also result in significant

improvement of intellectual functioning, as measured by increases

in IQ scores (Linden, Habib & Radojevic, 1996). Such improvement

is most likely the result of the treatment's positive impact on

the person's ability to concentrate. More recently, Monastra

(2002) found that Neurofeedback has proven to be successful in

long term improvement of ADD/ADHD symptoms. In this study, 100

children, aged six to nineteen years, diagnosed with ADD/ADHD

were monitored for one year. All children received parental

counseling, academic support, and Ritalin. Half of the children

also received Neurofeedback training. After 12 months, all

children showed improvement in their attention. However, children

who stopped taking Ritalin and did not train with Neurofeedback,

lost the gains they had achieved, whereas those who also received

brain wave training kept their gains even after they stopped

using Ritalin.

Computer Assisted Programs

The use of computer-assisted programs in the treatment of

cognitive deficits is not new.

Previous studies have shown the benefits of such cognitive

training for treating attention deficits and learning

disabilities. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus

Development Conference Statement confirmed that " Computer-

assisted strategies have been used to improve specific neuro-

psychological processes, predominantly attention, memory, and

executive skills. Both randomized controlled studies and case

reports have documented the success of these interventions using

intermediate outcome measures. "

New Generation Software

Lately, a new generation of programs makes it much easier and

faster to treat attention deficits. The most notable innovation

related to these programs is that they can provide effective

training without clinical supervision. One such program:

SharperBrain has gain substantial recognition in the area of

improving cognitive performance for individuals with cognitive

deficits. This is a language independent program, which makes it

easier for the brain to generalize the results. SharperBrain

directly trains the brain to enhance all levels of attention in

addition to a long list of cognitive skills. SharperBrain was

developed based on research done with EEG based technology. The

goal was to develop a program that can avoid the costly aspect of

EEG instrumentation and to make it easy to use and more

economical.

The program works in two ways. First, improve brain wave activity

by enhancing the following three attentional levels:

1. Calm: Allows the mind to relax and get ready for different

mental tasks. It is also a state important for contemplation and

planning. In terms of brain activity, this is equivalent to

Alpha state.

2. Focused: Allows paying attention to a specific task, while

offsetting distractions. This is equivalent to Beta1 state.

3. Alert: Allows fast response when the need to react quickly is

required. This is equivalent to Beta2 state.

In addition, SharperBrain trains the brain to develop a variety

of cognitive abilities such as divided attention, multitasking,

speed of processing, working memory, visual/auditory processing

and coordination as well as higher executive skills such as

decision making, organizing and prioritizing. It also trains the

brain to offset distractions. Such skills are not part of the

traditional Neurofeedback protocols. Another advantage of such

program is that unlike Neurofeedback, which can be only

administered by a clinician, it can be practiced at home after a

very brief training. In addition, it does not require specialized

equipment such as EEG, making it a very cost effective

alternative.

With the latest research and news about side effects of attention

deficit-related medication, the interest in this innovative

technology has significantly risen in the past year and is

expected to continue to draw individuals interested in utilizing

a drug free approach to attention deficit disorders. Dr. H.

Duffy a Professor and Pediatric Neurologist at Harvard Medical

School and an Associate Editor for Neurology, Clinical EEG

Journal noted recently the following:

" In my opinion, if any medication had demonstrated such a wide

spectrum of efficacy it would be universally accepted and widely

used. It is a field to be taken seriously by all. "

A lot has been written on the connection between nutrition and

ADHD. The fact remains that ADHD is a neurological deficiency.

Proper nutrition and supplementation may be helpful in better

controlling this and many other health related problems, but it

cannot fix the neurological aspect of the problem. Supplements

and herbal remedies can have some calming effect on hyperactive

kids, but they cannot teach a child with attention deficit

disorder how to neutralized distractions around them and how to

consistently pay full attention to the teacher while learning

material that is not so exciting for the student.

With the new technology, Sharper Brain is offering children and

adults an effective option to be able to make the necessary

neurological changes so that they can, perhaps for the first time

in their lives, focus and concentrate when they need it and for

as long as it's needed.

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Bob Gottfried PhD specializes in is a Neuro-cognitive therapy.

He is the clinical director of Advanced Cognitive Enhancement

clinics in Toronto, Canada. More information about SharperBrain

can be found on the official website:

http://www.SharperPrograms.com