Has anyone tried biofeedback?

[leigh]

Hi everyone. It's been a while since I posted. Hope all is well here.


I have a question. Who here has tried biofeedback? Or do you know anyone who has tried it? It seems to me that someone told me once they had tried it.

My son's teacher, who has been a God-send to us, did some research and found a biofeedback center here in Atlanta that someone she knows says it's been a help. Biofeedback is not covered by insurance, and it's VERY EXPENSIVE. I've spent a fortune on "alternatives" that haven't worked and I'm just hesitant to spend more money.

The program they use is something like a game where you move a figure. The figure won't move unless you are using a certain part of your brain, so you are basically being made to concentrate. You can't have this thing at home, though (I think they monitor your brain somehow as you're playing the game). I just don't want to gamble again, to be honest. Even for just a tiny bit of improvement, I'm hesitant. For the money, it would have to be significant success. Any thoughts on this???

Thanks in advance.

[crazyhouse]

I have heard a little about this and it sounds... Promising but the money is what scares me I feel the same way I would like to try it but if you put out a bunch of dough and see very little improvement, I think I would be disappointed to. I understand not wanting to feel the disappointment because once you hand over that money it's gone and if there is no improvement then you feel it wasn't worth it and you could have tried something else that might have been more effective. So I can't say yah it's great no it's not because we haven't tried it but if the money is not there and with my son thats the case then it's not an option which is our case. Hope I helped

[mom2adhdkid]

My mother, who has ADD, has used it w/ success.

[lillian]

Yes, Leigh, we did it, and it was the best intervention we have used for my son's ADD. There is absolutely no doubt about it. Be very careful whom you choose to do it. You want the person to have a Ph.D. in psychology, and, preferably, be a neuropsych. A lot of centers are popping up all over the country, claiming to do neurofeedback, and they aren't. You're lucky because Atlanta is a big city with some great universities. Check and see if any of the universities offer it.

How old is your son? I should say that I don't recommend it for anyone under ten.

[crazyhouse]

That's good to know thanks Lillian I have a couple years to save up ;D Is it really expensive?

[leigh]

Thanks for all of your replies! I sooooo appreciate it. Lillian, it must have been you I remember mentioning it! LOL! The center here in Atlanta is supposedly pretty big. There web site is helpful. You may have heard of this place. Who knows? www.bia1.com/

Oh.....my son is almost 11. I suppose I'll look into this. I just wish there were something I could do at home that wouldn't cost so much. I've heard these things are just unbelievably expensive. The thought of that paralyzes me......even if it does look promising. On a postive note, my son's attitude toward school and his determination to succeed have improved a LOT. He's trying MUCH harder and making better grades all on his own. Still, the teacher is concerned and sees his focusing issue as "severe." She reminds me often that many of the middle school teachers are not nearly as understanding of attention difficulties as she is and do not typically go the extra mile to come up with creative ways to help the kids want to do better. Gosh. I'm going to miss her.

[lillian]

It's very expensive, I'm afraid. It was $125 a session, and my son had forty sessions, so that is $5000. You can't space it out, either. The child has to have two or three sessions a week, for it to be effective. The upside is that my son was evaluated for attention issues at school one month after completing his treatments, and he was found to be paying attention MORE often than his classmates in every subject except reading, and we know why for the latter!

[crazyhouse]

Hey Lillian did you know ahead of time that it was $125 a session and that he would need 2-3 times a week from the beginning, or was that something that they decided in the beginning after a few treatments. Also did you know there was 40 sessions of therapy and that you be dropping off the specialists boat payment for the next 35 weeks or so . Basicly I'm trying to figure out if I could come up with $5000 smackeroos in a period of 9 months and how easy the transition is between you and the money loss, because thats big bucks but for that kinda of difference. It sounds almost worth it.

[leigh]

Oh my gosh.......it's more expensive than I was thinking. Whoa! Deep breath. I'll bet it's every bit that much here in Atlanta. I've heard this place is a one-of-a-kind. I'll tell you, it would be hard to convince my husband to go for that kind of expense given how much we spent on other things. Sheesh! I'm really going to have to think hard about this. I wonder if there's a home thing that is effective. Hmmmmm. Anyway, thanks for telling me about your experience, Lillian. It has given me a lot to think about.

[lillian]

Personally, I think the home stuff is a waste of money, but that's just my opinion. You may want to contact the center in Atlanta and ask to speak to some parents.