The following case vignette is from Australia, where reporter Mimi Kwa
covered the story of a rageful young child who received neurofeedback
training with Dr. Moshe Perl in Melbourne. This story appeared on the
program
A Current Affair on October 8, 2002.
Coping with a child who suffers Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(ADHD) often leaves parents feeling helpless and hopeless. But a natural,
non-invasive treatment offers new hope in the form of a simple computer
game. ACA meets one family who have observed the benefits first-hand.
Today, Kane Loveday is your typical 12-year-old. It's hard to believe
only
four years ago, Kane was putting his mother, Lauren, through hell.
"He was abusive, he used to hit me and punch me and kick me and
bite me … I
didn't know what to do with him," she says.
Kane's ADHD was out of control. Even his sister Kara was afraid of him.
But, after years of violent outbursts, relief has finally been found
in a
computer game. It's a system called Neurofeedback, where Kane's brainwaves
are represented as different coloured spaceships.
According to clinical psychologist Dr Moshe Perl, electrodes on Kane's
head
sense when he's relaxed and focused, and as a result, the green spaceship
speeds up, overtaking other spaceships that show when he's tired or tense.
Kane's mother, Lauren, explains the rationale.
"Of course what he wants to do is to get the rockets to go fast,
so he
teaches himself to really slow down," she says.
Following the success of the treatment, Kane's family hardly recognise him.
"Excellent, absolutely excellent and it's been long-term. He's lost,
I would
say, all of his violence. He's not aggressive. He's a happy, happy child
now," Lauren says.
And looking back, Kane also realises he's become a different person.
"I can't believe I was like that … Even if I
tried I don't think I'd be able
to do it [again]," he says.
After 60 Neurofeedback sessions, Dr Perl says Kane's attention span has
improved dramatically. In fact, his scores have doubled.
"Maybe one in 10,000 children would have scored as poorly as he
did. Now,
he's completely average in that area and at the same time he focuses
better," says Dr Perl.
While Kane is still weening himself off the ADHD drug Ritalin, it is
only
through the donations from the local parish that the Lovedays could afford
the $2600 price tag for the Neurofeedback treatment.
"I know it's expensive but it's safe, it's less invasive, it's better
than
any chemicals, even natural therapies. You know, we tried the diets and
all
kinds of things," says mum Lauren.
Dr Perl says the treatment has an 85 percent success rate with ADHD.
The
system, however, has also proven effective in treating other disorders.
"It works for anxiety; it works for depression; it works for mood
disturbances and it works for panic. I've used it successfully for chronic
pain, headaches and migraine," says Dr Perl.
For Lauren Loveday, Kane's positive outcome has literally changed their
lives.
"Anything's worth a try and it was either that or give the child
up and I
couldn't cope with that," she says.