Neurofeedback for Autism Spectrum Disorder
People on the autistic spectrum often have an ability to hyperfocus and think about issues and tasks in a structured way. However, they also have common areas of difficulties, such as educational achievement and social interaction, including emotional regulation.
We know from research that a sizeable proportion of these children and adults also have symptoms consistent with ADHD – this crossover is important when it comes to the training plan.
Areas in the brain that are to do with social and emotional interaction and understanding show an imbalance in their frequencies and levels. If your brain is not generating enough of the frequency that you need to be calm and alert, then this just cannot happen for more than brief periods of time.
Action Plan
Once I have done a full assessment, including an EEG based assessment (NewQ), conversations with the person and ideally those closest to them (to see how others experience them), and have gone through any available professional reports, I will devise a training plan for them.
Typically, this indicates that the very fast and very slow frequencies (high beta and theta) are too active, and the ‘rest and digest’ frequencies are too low (high alpha, and sensory motor rhythm) in the central band of the brain called the sensory motor cortex. There are often other areas to do with regulation that may need training as well, but this varies from person to person.
I use neurofeedback to train the person to lower the high beta and theta and increase the high alpha, and sensory motor rhythm frequencies. This will usually effectively increase focus and regulation.
Areas in the brain that are to do with social and emotional interaction and understanding show an imbalance in their frequencies and levels.
Counselling for Autism Spectrum Disorder
I find that counselling with this group falls into two different subgroups.
There are people who don’t want to talk and find the Thought Field Therapy (TFT) very useful, as they don’t want to discuss their problems in detail. Others who also come into this group are individuals who are only having neurofeedback when an old memory or phobia comes up. We can then do a limited amount of counselling to address the difficulty and then return to the neurofeedback.
The other group are generally children, teenagers and young adults who are having difficulties socially and emotionally. Usually they don’t understand the social rules and have difficulty regulating their emotions and this is causing difficulties for them and others.
Action Plan
I work with the first group by using the more non-verbal techniques (TFT, and breathing techniques), and once the difficulty has subsided to their satisfaction then we return to do neurofeedback only.
The second group usually requires taking some time to understand how their thinking and emotional patterns work, as well as giving them information and helping them think this through. I find this, combined with TFT and breathing techniques, results in good outcomes.