Putting Neurofeedback in Our Schools
By Phil Ellis, Ph.D., BCIA-EEG

Once I had the opportunity to provide neurofeedback to children and adolescents in an outpatient setting, I realized what a powerful tool this would be for schools in their effort to help children with ADD/ADHD and learning disabilities. Although many psychologists like me are trained to help children with emotional and behavioral problems, typically, they are not trained to do more than simply diagnose learning problems. The challenges of helping these children are mostly left to educators, special education specialists and after-school learning centers. According to a researcher who statistically compared and contrasted the most popular of the current methods used to help the LD child in school (i.e., Orton Gillingham, Lindamood Bell, Phonics, etc), they were significantly lacking in their documented effectiveness when compared to the dramatic improvements that follow neurofeedback training (Kirtley Thornton, 2006). Many neurofeedback studies that demonstrate success in ADD/ADHD symptom reduction make note of the many other improvements that take place in the emotional, behavioral, and cognitive arenas (Tansey, 1983; Lubar, 1985; Linden, et al, 1993). It has even been demonstrated that overall I.Q. scores and reading levels tend to improve following neurofeedback training ( Lubar, et al, 1995).

Children diagnosed with ADD or ADHD have long been provided treatment services by psychologists. As part of a popular present day comprehensive approach to the treatment of ADD/ADHD, psychologists often provide supportive counseling for the children and the family. They provide valuable behavioral suggestions and parenting instruction to assist in the management of problems that occur at home and during the homework hours. They provide diagnostic impressions and can help to recommend physicians who prescribe medication. Unfortunately, for the moderate to severe ADHD youth out there, psychologists and other mental health providers cannot lessen the core symptomatology of ADD/ADHD or the child's need for medication. That is, unless, they also provide neurofeedback.

Research is now becoming quite clear. Neurofeedback has been shown to either increase the effectiveness of stimulant medication or be used successfully instead of medication (Rossiter, T.R. &  LaVaque, T.J. 1995). Finally, in a side by side treatment comparison with medication, Neurofeedback was recently shown to be more effective than stimulant medication and the only treatment service offered to the study subjects that continued to be effective even after it was removed (Monastra, et al., 2004). 

So, given the vast number of children in our school with ADD/ADHD and learning disabilities why wouldn’t we want to see Neurofeedback on campus? This was a question I asked myself 5 years ago when I was asked to consider building a learning lab in a public school. Now, after successfully treating over one hundred children in the past four years at that school in my community, I know. It belongs in our schools. I invite you to read about 3 schools providing Neurofeedback to their student population.

Thornton, K.E., No Child Left Behind Goals are Obtainable with the Neurocognitive
Approach. BookSurge, 2006.
Monastra, V.J., "The Effects of Stimulant Therapy, EEG Biofeedback, and Parenting
Style on the Primary Symptoms of AD/HD Disorder" Applied Psychophysiology & Biofeedback Journal, v. 27(4) 2002.
Rossiter, T. & LaVaque, T.J.,  A Comparison of EEG Biofeedback and Psychostimulants
in Treating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders, Journal of Neurotherapy 1 (1995) 48-59.
Tansey, M.A. & Bruner, R.L. “EMG and EEG Biofeedback Training in the Treatment of
a Ten Year Old Hyperactive Boy with a Developmental Disorder.” Biofeedback and Self-Regulation, 8, 25-37.
Lubar, J.F. Changing EEG Activity through biofeedback applications for the diagnosis
and treatment of learning disabilities: Theory and Practice. Ohio State University, 24, 106-111.

 

New Visions Charter School, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Bob DeBoer is the founder and Director of, A Chance to Grow, a non-profit organization created by parents with disabled children to help other families with children who have suffered learning problems, developmental delays or brain injuries (www.actg.org). Bob is well aware of the personal anguish and struggle a parent can go through upon learning that their child is disabled. He knows what it feels like to be told your child will never lead a "normal" life. His son, Jesse had oxygen deprivation at birth and, as a result, suffered severe brain damage. Bob and his wife were told that it was unlikely their son would ever learn to speak. Even at the age of 3, Jesse would drool, stare off into space and only make a few sounds that were meant to imitate words.

Bob DeBoer and his wife decided to seek out the services of professionals who were exploring new and more innovative approaches to working with children like Jesse. Over the years their efforts led to a significantly improved prognosis for Jesse. By the age of 19, Jesse had graduated High School, was active in extracurricular sports and was only thought of as having a learning disability. It was then that Bob DeBoer decided to dedicate himself to building schools with innovative methods, methods that incorporated what he now refers to as "Neurotechnology". The DeBoers believed that through repetitive purposeful stimulation of kinesthetic, visual, auditory and cognitive functions, new neural pathways could develop and doors previously closed would open.   

In 1992, Bob founded a Charter School called New Visions School. That same year he decided to try neurofeedback as one of the services that appeared promising. New Visions ( 1st - 8th grades) was the first public school in the U.S. to offer Neurofeedback. Approximately half of the 175 students at this school were diagnosed with learning disabilities. Students here received neurofeedback training in two, thirty minute sessions each week. On average, each student completed 40 or more sessions during the school year. The training was used to target reading, concentration and behavior problems.

In their first year, with just one instrument, 42 students were trained using Neurofeedback. By the fourth year, 235 students had completed the training and the effects were extraordinary. In a study the school forwarded to the Minnesota State Legislature, John Anderson, the Neurofeedback supervisor, demonstrated with psychological testing that the students had significantly improved in their attentiveness, their impulsivity and their academic stability. In addition, each student gained an average of 1.3 years in their reading level despite their learning disabilities (including dyslexia). Ten years later in 2002, the program had received over a million dollars in federal and state funding and was responsible for the training and supervising of staff in over 45 public schools in Minnesota and 75 more schools in other states across the nation (See http//articles.citypages.com/2002-08-21/books/miracle-on-the-street/).

The Enrico Fermi School for the Performing Arts & Computer Science, Yonkers, New Jersey.

Linda Vergaro, a  Vice Principal of the Enrico Fermi School and a mother of an especially inattentive, impulsive and hyperactive 6 year old decided that it was time to seek professional advice on parenting her very hyper child. After completing psychological testing she was informed that her son had ADHD and a recommendation was made for her to consider stimulant medication. Having served as a school administrator already, Linda was all too aware of both the positive and negative effects of this kind of medication on children. Over 100 children at the Enrico Fermi School were already on ritalin. Linda was interested in knowing if there was first another viable way to help her son before considering medication (Robbins, Jim "Wired for Miracles" in Psychology Today, June 1998).

Responding to a promotion of a relatively unknown and drug-free treatment for ADHD, Linda Vergaro met Dr. Mary Jo Sabo, the Director of Biofeedback Consultants, Inc. After just 7 sessions of neurofeedback, her son was sitting through dinner and completing his homework without incident, new phenomena. By the end of his treatment he was remarkably calmer, less aggressive and significantly more attentive. According to Linda, her son’s hyperactivity was completely gone.

Linda eventually became the Principal of this school and was awarded a small grant of $2,500. She used these funds to bring neurofeedback equipment into the Enrico Fermi School. Dr Mary Jo Sabo agreed to train the school staff selected to learn neurofeedback. During the first year, only 8 children participated in the trainings and they received 40 sessions apiece. Still, for those 8 children they found dramatic changes, including increased attention spans, the ability to stay “on task” for longer periods of time, and less disruptive behavior.

After this first year, the Yonkers school district was so impressed that they allocated funds for 10 new neurofeedback instruments. Two other schools in the district also bought equipment out of their own budget. The small $2,500 a year budget quickly grew to $143,000 almost overnight. Five years later, 300 children had been trained for a variety of conditions including ADHD, learning disabilities and depression (Demos, John, Getting Started with Neurofeedback, 2005). Linda Vergaro estimates that the neurofeedback program had saved the school district $500,000 in special education costs. Mary Jo Sabo, the psychologist who first introduced neurofeedback into the school system coined a new phrase to describe the enthusiastic community response to neurofeedback;  she called it The Ripple Effect.

Evergreen Community Charter School, Asheville, North Carolina

In 2004 I was asked to speak to the faculty and parents of the Evergreen Community Charter School on the subject of EEG Biofeedback. The Executive Director of the school, Jackie Williams, had observed the beneficial results of the training with a couple of my past clients and wanted the school to hear about this new approach to helping school age children. After the talk I was asked about my waiting list and whether or not there was a way the school could facilitate a faster response for their students referred. I suggested they create space for me to provide neurofeedback on campus in the morning before I went to my downtown office. They agreed. 

After two years I reported to the Board of Directors the results of providing training to 24 Evergreen students. Although this survey was not conducted to standards acceptable for A.P.A. publication, the results were still impressive. Students were referred for ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar Disorder and Learning Disabilities. Seventy-nine percent of the students referred demonstrated significant improvements from the time of their referral to the time of their program completion They were assessed by Connors Teacher and Parent Surveys and a second survey called a Student Readiness to Learn (Teacher Questionnaire). Forty-six percent of the students were on medications at the time of their referral. Only 24% of the students remained on medication at the completion of training. Of the group still on medication, 1/2 was on a diminished dose.

Two years after my Board presentation, I had completed training for over 100 children from this school. The benefits were apparent in 80% of the students referred. The school decided to purchase their own neurofeedback equipment. They sent me two members of the faculty  to train and now they have begun to provide neurofeedback services for ADHD and LD students. Parents, teachers, and Board members are excited about what is happening on campus and the results only seem to be improving as the technology and our understanding of brain functioning improves. 

If you are interested in hearing more about Neurofeedback for your student population, feel free to contact Focus Center or Dr Ellis directly at wncphil@msn.com