In the past few years only a few Neurofeedback (NFB) clinicians have worked with autistic children, using EEG & HEG biofeedback.
Very few have been willing to take on an autistic child, because of the difficulties involved:
1. How do you attach sensors to an autistic child? Even using a helmet?
2. If you do get a connection, how do you motivate such a child? (A key to success).
3. The cost can bankrupt any family except the very wealthy.
Neuroliminal Training is the best choice to solve these problems. All three of the above problems above are solved with NT.
There is no sensor attachment needed, nor any helmet, nor is motivation important.
Since NT works by using a subliminal messaging technique that works during sleep, or as a background to play or study, it's done at home using a repeating CD, and at an affordable cost to even a low income family. NT improves autism symptoms gradually over time in the same way as NFB. It's slow, but steady progress.
EEG and HEG biofeedback do the same three things that Neuroliminal Training does - namely raise the SMR brain wave, lower the Theta brainwave, and increase the brain blood flow.
Increasing oxygen (Hyperbaric therapy) has had some good success with autistic children as well, but it’s relatively expensive.
(Neurofeedback also includes both EEG and HEG biofeedback. HEG increases brain blood flow using feedback techniques).
With volunteer tests and studies, it has been well proven that success rates are very similar for both NFB and NT. The only real difference is cost.
For an average ADHD child to be “cured” (cure being defined in current NFB circles as “sitting still in class, paying attention to study, getting good grades, and in most cases, jumping in IQ scores”) costs on average about $4000 using EEG biofeedback. For NT, the total cost is $197. Is that a no-brainer?
An ADHD child requires 50-60 EEG sessions. An autistic child requires over 200 sessions Although I believe that there is a “continuum” between the simplest ADD child that cannot seem to concentrate on studying and a true non-communicative autistic child, there is one major difference. A person on the autism portion of that continuum probably has had actual brain damage, whereas, the ADD/ADHD child has probably had little or no such. Thus, a “cure” for ADD/ADHD is fairly easy, but for the autistic child much more difficult.
To improve an autistic child's symptoms, simple “baby steps” toward “normal behavior” are what is seen using either NFB or NT. The good news is that continued usage continues improvement. This is a long slow process, and there are several alternate therapies which may be used at the same time. These are described in the NT literature and may include special diets, the use of enzymes, probiotics, free allergy tests etc.
The “brain damage” that makes autism such a problem may be caused by various traumatic episodes such as an overload of mercury or other mineral toxicity, a birth or pregnancy injury, continual malnutrition (or drug addiction) by the mother during pregnancy, etc. Of course, this autism spectrum is large and variable with each individual. Not to mention, the misdiagnosed cases. A high functioning autistic child might easily be thought to be in the ADD/ADHD range.
Remember that all doctors have to make a diagnosis that will allow them to be paid from insurance carriers, and this makes the whole diagnostic process a mockery. The “accepted” average success rate of Neurofeedback (NFB) (aka EEG BF) for ADD/ADHD is between 85-90%. This 15% "failure" is probably due to misdiagnoses (ADHD for autism where the correct diagnosis should have been "high functioning autism".
Some of these failures has to be due to the clinicians inability to be “good motivators of their patients. Motivation is a key to success of NFB.
Almost 40 years ago, it was found that by raising one small brain wave adjacent to the Alpha brain wave (around 13-14 Hz) - since named the SMR brain wave), some almost miraculous things happened. We do not “know” what causes these good changes, but the theory I put forth in 2000 is that “raising the SMR brain wave somehow changes the affect of allergens on the brain”. (If you look at the mental problems that are caused by allergens, and compare that list to the NFB cures over the past 30 + years, you can easily see the reason why I came up with that theory.)
In orthomolecular circles, it is well known that allergens, usually unsuspected, are a main cause of stress. Stress is always a major factor in causing all mental “disease”. Raising the SMR brain wave either “cures” some allergies, or lessens the effect on the patient. This has been shown clearly in anecdotal stories using either EEG BF or NT.
NASA scientists found that lowering the Theta brain wave increases concentration (attention), and they spend hours “brainwashing” jet pilots and astronauts to lower their Theta brain wave. This has become a “standard therapy” for NFB as a result. However, what most NFB clinicians don’t know is that by lowering Theta, we also lower “creativity”, or “artistic ability” in some persons.
Cases with “attention” problems, including autism, creativity is less important than social happiness of the child involved. Creative or artistic ability aren't as important to an astronaut as the ability to concentrate.
I heard about an autistic girl that was a real savant in mathematics and music in a recent conference,. They used an experimental stem cell transplant on her, and it improved her autism symptoms dramatically, but it also cut her savant ability in half.
The Autism CD package does lower Theta, while the SMR plus does not. SMR Plus is the recommended one for all forms of depression, including PTSD, insomnia, epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, etc.
NFB works by a sort of beneficial brainwashing using the conscious mind getting feedback on what the SMR brain wave is doing, and trying by conscious concentration to raise this wave. (Or lower the Theta brain wave at the same time with attention issues).
NT also works by a beneficial brainwashing that raises the SMR brain wave, but NT uses subliminal messaging instead of feedback using the conscious mind.. It also lowers the Theta brain wave if there are “attention issues” (ADD/ADHD/autism).
Other brain problems, such as insomnia, depression, epilepsy, PTSD, anxiety, etc where there are no "attention" issues there is no useful purpose served in lowering the Theta brain wave, so it is not done. (This is the SMR Plus CD package.)
Dr Bate is a retired Orthomolecular Psychologist. In 2004, he invented a new sleep therapy that duplicates Neurofeedback. Both NT and NFB are effective. However, NT is affordable even to mid and low income families. http://drbate.com - http://ADD-Autism.com Dr Bate is a retired orthomolecular psychologist who invented Neuroliminal Training, a simpler and affordable way to change brain wave amplitudes solving ADD-Autism, depression, insomnia, and more. http://neuroliminal.com – http://ADHD-Autism.com
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