Neurofeedback Assessment and Treatment for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the assessment and treatment for attention deficit or hyperactivity disorders. The chapter defines Attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a lifelong disorder that affects, perhaps, as high as 10% of the population, depending on which review article one reads and how it is classified and characterized. ADD/ADHD overlaps with other disorders and presents in three main forms: inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and combined, according to the DSM-IV. An older term, hyperkinesis, is still used at times to represent attention deficit with hyperactivity. The overlap of both ADD/ADHD and specific learning disabilities (LDs) is as high as 70%. In some cases, ADD/ADHD and LD overlap with conduct problems. The attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity is sometimes referred to as ADD-, according to Barkley's (1990) classification. The attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity, ADD +, also overlaps with learning disabilities, but is more concurrent with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD). This chapter summarizes that although ADD/ADHD is express in terms of poor educational achievements, inappropriate emotional behavior, and all of the problems seen in terms of compliance, academics, etc., the problem is not a primary emotional disorder, an educational disorder, or a behavioral disorder; it is neurological. This means that ADD/ADHD is reflected in the way the child, adolescent, or adult processes information, which is, in turn, affecting how the individual perceives the world and therefore responds to it.