A CONTROLLED-STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF EEG BIOFEEDBACK ON COGNITION ANDBEHAVIOR OF CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION-DEFICIT DISORDER AND LEARNING-DISABILITIES

Eighteen children with ADD/ADHD, some of whom were also LD, ranging in ages from 5 through 15 were randomly assigned to one of two condition s. The experimental condition consisted of 40 45-minute sessions of tr aining in enhancing beta activity and suppressing theta activity, spac ed over 6 months. The control condition, waiting list group, received no EEG biofeedback. No other psychological treatment or medication was administered to any subjects. All subjects were measured at pretreatm ent and at posttreatment on an IQ test and parent behavior rating scal es for inattention, hyperactivity, and aggressive/defiant (oppositiona l) behaviors. At posttreatment the experimental group demonstrated a s ignificant increase (mean of 9 points) on the K-Bit IQ Composite as co mpared to the control group (P <.05). The experimental group also sign ificantly reduced inattentive behaviors as rated by parents (p <.05). The significant improvements in intellectual functioning and attentive behaviors might be explained as a result of the attentional enhanceme nt affected by EEC biofeedback training. Further research utilizing im proved data collection and analysis, more stringent control groups, an d larger sample sizes are needed to support and replicate these findin gs.