ADD: Incognito

  “Gerald was an easy diagnosis compared to Karl, a fourteen-year-old truant.  He was in trouble with school officials for fighting, had a brush with the law for petty vandalism, and was a chronic marijuana smoker.  He was the classic skinny little tough guy, yet no one considered him ADD.  As it turns out, he used this tough, devil-may-care facade to cover his inability to focus and learn his schoolwork.  Once during a training session this young Mr. Tough Guy looked up and said pitifully, “I hope this stuff can help me.  I do not want to be a dumb shit.”  Karl’s treatment was successful, and his grades improved, so did his school attendance.  He became much nicer to be around.  He even developed friendships with peers that he had once tormented and terrified.     Neurofeedback is a treatment where the patient’s scalp is connected to a computer by sensor wires.  The computer system amplifies and reads brainwave signals and a computer monitor feeds back information about how well the brainwaves are functioning.  By watching the information on the monitor, the person is able to learn to change their brainwaves, thereby improving the level of arousal and reducing the ADD symptoms.  Gerald and Karl, as well as most people we see, did very well with the training.  Their ADD symptoms were dramatically reduced, their grades went up, and their social behavior improved.”  From:  Getting Rid of Ritalin by Robert W. Hill, Ph.D. and Eduardo Castro, M.D.     Most ADD clients experience noted improvement within 10 visits.  If you have questions about neurofeedback and your child, call Drs. Kelsey at 260.432.8777 to set up a consultation.