Hi Friends,
I wanted to
introduce you to our friend “Marie.” She is sharing her story with us as she
tries a brain-retraining program (neurofeedback) with her daughter who has ADD
and severe memory issues. This
will be the first in an ongoing series following their progress and success. We hope you find it helpful as you
search for solutions for your own children.
Is Neurofeedback the Solution for
Your Child? Follow Our Journey: Part 1.
My daughter
cannot stay focused and these drugs don’t work! I am wondering how much of her
problem is chemical, or is it trauma, drama or a combination of all three?
My middle
child, 11, has a serious problem staying focused and on task. She is
intelligent, bright, and creative, but cannot finish most ANY task set before
her. It doesn’t matter if it is getting ready and remembering to put on
underwear, or doing simple school work. My sweet girl still had a problem wetting herself in 3 grade
because she wasn’t paying attention and would wait until it was too late. She just goes off in to her own world.
She is never defiant about it. It is just as if she would “forget to remember.”
At first I
thought it might just be the emotional stress we were under as a family. She
has had a lot to deal with in her life…2 long distance moves, an older brother
with Asperger’s syndrome that drained MUCH of my attention, a failed business
and marriage, and anger issues in the house from father and brother before the
divorce. So as you can see, I always wondered how much of her focus problem is
trauma, how much is drama (she tends to be VERY expressive and creative) and
how much is truly “chemical”. So I set out to find my answer. I have prayed
over this many times asking for wisdom, and I believe I am getting some
answers!
Working the
Problem…
I think it
would help to give a little of what I tried to do first.
I started her with a child psychologist
when the divorce first happened that specialized in EMDR; a special technique
that helps the brain deal with and move past trauma. He didn’t spend much time on
that, but instead worked with her on social issues and self esteem which has
been greatly helpful to her.
As she got
further along in school, her attention problems became more glaring. I would
hear from teachers that they were seeing all the typical ADD symptoms. I
finally had her tested and they did confirm that she has ADD.
I began the grueling
task of “finding the right medication.” None of the stimulant drugs helped her
focus. They made her irritated and of course interrupted sleep patterns which
made her more tired and grouchy. Normally a cheerful and energetic girl, I just
could not do that to her any more. I also tried Strattera, a good non-stimulant
option, that I thought for sure would do the trick. It didn’t make a dent in
her problem!
I got some
help from the foster parent rescue blog when I used some of John’s techniques
and checklists to find out if she had a real memory problem or if there were
other things at play. I offered her twenty dollars at the end of the week if
she could get ready in the morning and remember to do everything without a
reminder ( normally I have to constantly remind her to do everything). I
wondered is it my parenting, is she lazy, does she have a learning problem???
If it were laziness then she would have been able to follow through because she
was motivated to get that money. It wasn’t a surprise to me that she didn’t
make it past the first day without forgetting most of the things on the list. (And
she was even allowed to look at the list!)
Training
the Brain
A turning
point came when a friend of mine referred me to a company called Neurocore.
This is where the real story begins. Neurocore is a company that was founded by
Dr. Timothy Royer, Psy. D. Dr.
Royer was the Division Chief of Pediatrics Psychology at Helen Devos Childrens
Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI. During his time there Dr. Royer worked closely
with teams of neuropsychologists, neurologists, and behavioral pediatricians to
address the cognitive, emotional and behavioral needs of children. He began Neurocore
in 2004.
I learned
that they use advanced EEG and EKG technology to train the brain to be
healthier and stronger without the use of medication. They have helped people
with ADHD, migraines, sleep disorders, stress related illness, anxiety issues,
athletes with performance problems because of anxiety, and focus problems! Eureka! I couldn’t wait to try it.
I had my
daughter tested. It is a very
simple, non written test that even a youngster can do. All you do is watch a
screen while they measure your brain waves, breathing and heart rate. When her
results came back it confirmed so much for me. It turns out part of her brain developed abnormally high in
the daydreaming area. I am convinced that this happened early in life as a
coping skill to entertain herself when she was somewhat and unfortunately
neglected, while I had to deal with an out of control special needs older
brother. Anyway, now those daydreaming patterns kick in whenever she is
stressed, bored or doing mundane tasks!
Brilliant! It all makes sense now.
After telling John at Foster Parent
Rescue about this he asked if I would write a progress report on how my
daughter does with the treatment. We are all very hopeful that it can make a
difference.
The program includes 30 treatments. We
will start next week! I will keep you posted.
( Do you have experience with this type of therapy? Let us know what you think! ~ John: FPR)
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