ADHD Assessment:

There are as many as six subtypes of ADHD.  Good treatment should be based on the type of ADHD you or your child has.

Dr. Shackelford uses clinical interview, an ADHD survey, and the Test of Variable Attentions to diagnose the subtype and offer treatment recommendations.  Just as one size does not fit all, one treatment does not fit all.

Neurotherapy Treatment:

While stimulant medication is the common treatment for ADHD, neurotherapy is a growing choice for many parents who are wary of side effects or who don't like the idea of their child using any medication longterm.

Students treated with neurotherapy show improved scores on objective measures of inattention and impulsivity as measured by the Test of Variable Attentions.  Studies on children treated showed elevations in IQ testing.  Follow-up studies after three years showed them maintaining their gains in attention and IQ.  Again, this is without taking medication. (see Lubar article)

Neurotherapy is a form of biofeedback which seeks to reduce troublesome slow brainwaves, most often Theta wave activity.  The therapy is done in Dr. Shackelford's Richardson office on a personal computer and Brainmaster software as the client watches various displays which hold his/her attention and give feedback to the brain. See How NT works.

Brainmaps: Show the problem and serve as a guide for neurotherapy.

Depression, anxiety, and TBI (traumatic brain injury) show up on  Brainmaps.  For example:

Clinically depressed people often have too much alpha brainwave on the left side, especially in the left frontal area of the brain. (see Depression)

Those with anxiety disorders often have too much fast beta wave at certain locations in the brain. Some actually have too much alpha wave. (see Anxiety)

ADHD children and adults often have too much of the theta or alpha brainwave which causes their mind to drift and their attention to come and go. (see ADHD)

Those suffering from brain injury or concussion may have various imbalances depending on the location and nature of the trauma to the brain. (see TBI)

See How NT works.

Harvard M.D. quote:

Frank H. Duffy, M.D., a Professor and Pediatric Neurologist at Harvard Medical School, stated in an editorial in the January 2000 issue of the journal Clinical Electroencephalography that scholarly literature now suggests that neurofeedback “should play a major therapeutic role in many difficult areas. In my opinion, if any medication had demonstrated such a wide spectrum of efficacy it would be universally accepted and widely used”.