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Biofeedback therapy tested for kids with ADHD
Last Updated Fri, 22 Apr 2005 20:29:11 EDT
CBC News
EDMONTON - Children in Edmonton with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder are testing a controversial treatment that aims to improve
their concentration.

Although many doctors consider the technique to be a waste of time and
money, some researchers say it may be worth exploring.


Biofeedback rocket setup.
Children with ADHD have too many long, lazy brain waves, seen in
day-dreaming.

The condition affects up to seven per cent of children, and can lead to
poor concentration and disruptive behaviour in school.

Using a process called biofeedback, those diagnosed with ADHD learn to
concentrate better, focusing their brain waves to complete a task, such
as making a toy rocket move faster.

Biofeedback works by monitoring body functions like blood pressure,
muscle or brain wave activity. Subjects see or hear information about
how their body is working, and they are taught to change the functions
through relaxation.

Tannie Cyr wanted her two sons, Domico, 9, and Devonte, 11, to try the
treatment rather than relying on drugs.

"I would like for them to be in control," said Cyr. "I believe in
therapy and learning social skills. I believe in teaching them how to be
in better control of their brain."

The treatment can help children to learn to achieve a more focused
state, agreed Dr. Lola Baydala, a pediatrician in Edmonton.

Yet few Canadian children have access to biofeedback, because it is
expensive, time-consuming and considered unproven.

Treatment at a private clinic can cost several thousand dollars, paid
directly out of parents' pockets.


Tannie Cyr
The money is not well spent, according to Dr. Wendy Roberts, a
specialist in ADHD at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.

Roberts said she is not convinced that using biofeedback to teach a
child strategies to focus their attention and fill in gaps in learning
will help them pick up skills.

Paying for tutors and counselling is better, she believes.

To see if biofeedback makes a difference, researchers in Edmonton are
recruiting 60 children with ADHD. Half will get biofeedback, while half
will go through the motions without receiving therapy.

After 20 weeks, the team will compare the two groups to see who has
fared better.

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