A Successful School Year

By Joan Ordmandy, MSEd

Biofeedback Works in Virginia, PLLC

More Complementary & Integrative Healthcare Articles

A Successful School Year

The beginning of the school year is just around the corner, leaving many parents and children concerned about what the new academic year will bring. Will children be able to transfer from the relative freedom of summer to the structure of school? Have they lost critical knowledge over the summer? (Studies show that IQ declines over summer breaks.) Will they be able to successfully negotiate the new demands of higher grades? These concerns are intensified with children who suffer from ADHD and learning disabilities.

For these children, it is especially important to start the school year strong and to address any academic and social difficulties as soon as they become apparent. Early intervention can prevent even bigger future difficulties. Parents can insist on meeting with schools and teachers to get the special accommodations there and can seek help from outside professionals, such as pediatricians and therapists. Any and all professionals both inside and outside of the school setting should coordinate services, so that they can work together for the best interests of the child.

One additional resource that is available to children and parents is neurofeedback. Neurofeedback, also called EEG biofeedback or neurotherapy, is a specialized form of biofeedback that helps people, including children, improve their brain function. When the brain is out of balance, people can experience a wide range of problems affecting learning, mood, sleep, concentration, and behavior. Neurofeedback training brings these problems gradually under control. Neurofeedback is painless, non-invasive, and does not involve any medication. In neurofeedback treatment, the client's brain activity is monitored through electrodes hooked up to the head. When the brain waves reach a desired pattern, clients are given feedback in the form of a clearer screen in a movie or success on a videogame. This enables clients to learn how to control their own brain wave patterns, both in and out of the treatment room.

Neurofeedback has been used to treat ADHD, learning disabilities, anxiety, anger management, and a host of other issues. Some research indicates that neurofeedback may even increase IQ scores by up to 30 points. Often, neurofeedback training proceeds more quickly than other types of treatment, as it intervenes directly at the level of the brain (but without medication). Please consider neurofeedback as soon as your child begins to experience any academic or social difficulties this school year.