Autism Spectrum – below information provided courtesy of www.eeginfo.com
Case Report:
A Clinical Vignette for the Autism Spectrum:
The following is an excerpt from a delightful new book on neurofeedback. It is
titled "The Healing Power of Neurofeedback," by
psychologist Stephen Larsen.
The story relates to a child called Matt in the book, who was referred for
neurofeedback at the age of eight with a diagnosis of autism. The following was
related by Curtis Cripe, who worked with Matt at his Crossroads Institute in Cave Creek, Arizona.
"The first session consisted of working with [the midline] sites (which
are located between the two hemispheres) to balance and normalize his cortical
activity. After the first few sessions, I switched to working with multiple
sites. within each session. After a certain number of sessions it was seen that
Matt no longer exhibited the autistic behaviors. After another ten, it was
evident that he was visibly maturing. By session twenty, Matt was placed in a
mainstream classroom with peers and he was able to work within the parameters
of that setting. By thirty sessions, his improving grades reflected his further
maturation and development.
Today, after twelve months under this program's protocols, Matt's diagnosis of
autism has been removed. He is in mainstream fourth grade, with his grades in
the As and Bs. He has developed and maintained school friendships, and is
included in school functions and extracurricular social functions. Matt will
graduate with flying colors from our program after a total of fifty
sessions." (p.152)
A Mother's Report on Autism:
"My child is a 12 year old girl diagnosed at 2 1/2 with autism. We believe
that she was born autistic. She was always angry, frustrated and very much kept
to herself. We have completed 70 sessions of Neurofeedback and she is like a
different child. She gives us more eye contact; her anger and frustration have
disappeared!! She seldom talked before and stayed in her room most of the time.
She has started talking more and gesturing less. She joins in with the family
more and is able to be around crowds or family gatherings. She usually slept a
couple of hours per night but now sleeps all night. We are very pleased with
Neurofeedback and wish we had known about it sooner."
A Parent's Report on Autism:
Jake – 3 years old; 50 sessions and 4 months of Neurofeedback
My husband and I brought our 2-year old autistic son to Centers for Success
with both intrigue and skepticism. When we first began, Jake had been through
only 2 months of traditional early intervention therapies, such as Speech,
Occupational Sensory, some in-home play, and an Early Start Preschool. He had
been significantly developmentally delayed in all areas. His speech (at 30
months old), was tested like that of a 6-9 month old. His cognitive skills
tested at a 10-17 month level. 6 months ago (at two-and-a half years old), Jake
had no attention span, could not sit still, jumped from one activity to
another, was in constant motion, ground his teeth, chewed on his shirt collars,
did not sleep through the night, had eating issues, had little-to-none
imaginary play skills, could not ride a tricycle, and did not socialize with
other children. When he was tested, they couldn't complete many sections
because he wouldn't focus for them, wouldn't respond to his name, wouldn't
point to a single object when asked, and was constantly running around the
room, flipping the light on and off.
To date, Jake has had 50 sessions of Neurofeedback over 4 months' time, and we
are still planning on more. He rapidly progressed in his developmental skills,
including bringing his speech to a 31-month level and his cognitive function to
33 months (he is currently 36 months old). His skills include riding a
tricycle, which has become a favorite outside activity now. His imaginary play
has grown by incredible strides, moving from cause-and-effect toys to playing
with cars and blocks, as well as playing kitchen, grocery store, and even
'brain school' (neurofeedback). He uses Play Dough as the "sticky
stuff," grabs headphones, and tells me he needs a movie! His retention has
increased, which he can show us through the speech skills he has gained. He can
now sit still through the reading of a book, which was something that he had
never done before. We used to try just looking at pictures and ignoring the
words, but he still couldn't do that. Now, he's interested in listening to
someone read and can sit in a 'big' chair, without having to strap him in a
high chair or booster. He has enough attention to sit and complete tasks, such
as puzzles or stringing beads in patterns.
Socially, Jake has grown in his interaction with his 4-year-old sister,
engaging in play and laughing at jokes between the two of them. He initiates
hugs for bedtime, holds her hand, and plays prince and princess with her. He
can play on his own, entertaining himself with age appropriate toys. With other
children, Jake will say hello and goodbye, but his play is still more parallel
in nature and not too much of engagement.
Behaviorally, we have watched Jake grow through different developmental stages.
Prior to any early intervention, Jake was often frustrated due to his lack of
communication and ability to do things for himself. He would often act out by
throwing things or cry inconsolably. He'd cry until he fell asleep, often 30-45
minutes. As he became calmer and his skill levels increased, we watched the
behavior change. He had more control. We then entered a stage of transitional
tantrums, which only lasted about 1-2 weeks, but he'd cry as activities would
end. Centers for Success changed some protocols and the calmness then took
over, and the tantrums ended. We went on a vacation that included a 5-hour plane
flight. Jake had no problems sitting in his airplane seat, happy and calm, for
the entire trip (both on the way there and on the way home). We are currently
in a new behavioral phase, which includes tantrums because Jake doesn't get his
way. This is different from the transition tantrums. These are in direct result
of not getting what he wants and are in complete protest. He's learning that he
can communicate his wants to us, and protesting when we don't oblige.
Jake's diagnosis has changed from an "autistic disorder" to
"PDD-NOS", (Pervasive Developmental Delay, "not otherwise
specified") meaning there are signs of autism, but not enough for a
Classic Autism or Asperger's diagnosis. Jake has made HUGE progress
since his first examination 6 months ago and beginning Neurofeedback 4 months
ago. Jake still has a way to go, but life today is so different than it was
back then. It's more manageable from a parental standpoint and less frustrating
from Jake's standpoint. We are continuing with all of the therapy because it's
all working together. Neurofeedback has made it possible for Jake to be calm
and attentive to learn the skills to catch up to his peers. He's also learning
to efficiently use his brain, increasing his maximum potential, during this
time of early intervention. The rate at which he's developing is incredible.
Socially, Jake has grown in his relationship with his sister and I am hoping to
report that this carries over into his relationship with other children. SO,
until next time, this is "to be continued"...
Neurofeedback practitioner Jon Cowan reports:
"Each case is individual, and "miracles" do happen. My first
case of(triply-diagnosed) autism, back in the mid-90s, was an absolute cure.
She became a "chatty Kathy", annoying some folks by talking so much!
She graduated as valedictorian of her high school class and went on to college.
All with just 28 sessions."
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