EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EEG NEUROFEEDBACK TRAINING FOR ADHD IN A CLINICAL SETTING AS MEASURED BY CHANGES IN TOVA SCORES, BEHAVIORAL RATINGS, AND WISC-R PERFORMANCE

A study with three component parts was performed to assess the effecti veness of neurofeedback treatment for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The subject pool consisted of 23 children and adolesc ents ranging in age from 8 to 19 years with a mean of 11.4 years who p articipated in a 2-to 3-month summer program of intensive neurofeedbac k training. Feedback was contingent on the production of 16-20 hertz ( beta) activity in the absence of 4-8 hertz (theta) activity. Posttrain ing changes in EEG activity, T.O.V.A. performance, (ADDES) behavior ra tings, and WISC-R performance were assessed. Part I indicated that sub jects who successfully decreased theta activity showed significant imp rovement in T.O.V.A. performance; Part II revealed significant improve ment in parent ratings following neurofeedback training; and Part III indicated significant increases in WISC-R scores following neurofeedba ck training. This study is significant in that it examines the effects of neurofeedback training on both objective and subjective measures u nder relatively controlled conditions. Our findings corroborate and ex tend previous research, indicating that neurofeedback training can be an appropriate and efficacious treatment for children with ADHD.