Case A

This case involved a four year old male who was diagnosed at age three with Pervasive Developmental Disorder. The boy suffered language acquisition delays, demonstrated oppositional and reactive attachment behaviors (would hardly leave his Mother's side), was extremely hyperactive, and had impaired gross and fine-motor coordination. He exhibited atypical play with toys and preferred to repetitively spin parts of toys or line them up. The boy was uninterested in social interactions and could be anti-social, irritable and even hostile. He exhibited unusual repetetive behaviors such as staring at his hands while snapping his fingers. His parents noted he had great difficulty with changes in routines, and reported that since infancy he had survived on very little sleep. The boy had been attending speech therapy sessions for several months but demonstrated only incremental progress. The Mother complained of exhaustion as her son demanded her continual attention and would rarely leave her side.

After initial Neurofeedback training the parents reported their son slept all the way home. After several more sessions the parents reported remarkable and spontaneous language acquisition and speech improvements as the boy’s pronunciation improved and for the first time he use was saying his sibling’s names. Thereafter the boy’s Mother reported her son’s new behavior of going into his bedroom and looking at books on his own for brief periods of time. As his training progressed
the Mother reported her son was speaking in full sentences for the first time, and that his reverse order speech was diminished. In addition, she reported joyfully on her son’s interest in new toys, and his ability to stay with play tasks longer. Remarkably, he had begun to play with his siblings. The parents subsequently enrolled the boy into a day care center and attendants reported that their was adjusting “fairly well” to a relatively overwhelming change. Thereafter the parents reported their son was no longer clinging to his Mother’s side when home. Toward the end of training the parents reported markedly improved physical coordination, general and consistent elevation in the boy’s positive mood state and a willingness to conform and cooperate. The Father remarked on his son’s “focus and calm” in addition to his ability to sit for longer and longer periods of time. The boy’s hand-eye coordination had improved as a result, according to the Father. The parents stated the boy’s communication was on par with peers and that he demonstrated much more emotional self-control. Despite some setbacks now and then (under stress the boy reverted to gazing at his snapping fingers), they felt their son had overcome many challenges and thereafter they successfully transitioned him to home-training.

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Case B - Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

This case involved a six and a half year old male who reached developmental milestones within normal ranges up until two years of age. Approximately half a year later the boy abruptly exhibited behavioral regressions after the birth of twin siblings. He demonstrated sudden deficits in previously acquired skills in communication and became incontinent; was no longer toilet trained. He apparently lost interest in social interactions, becoming socially maladaptive, and acquired various unusual repetitive behaviors, including moving his fingers in front of his eyes, making vocal sounds and licking or smelling objects and people. A comprehensive medical exam yielded a diagnosis of Childhood Disintegrative Disorder Encephalopathy from Encephalitis (bacterial infection). The boy suffered from acquired aphasia (impairment of production/comprehension of language) and behavioral disturbances including hyperactivity, tantrums, impaired social interactions, and stereotypies iinvoluntary, repetitive movements). The boy had achieved some limited gains from sensory integration and relationship development interventions, as well as speech therapy, but had the self-expression of a child half his age, and was attending a day program for children with mental disabilities.

After the boy completed several Neurofeedback sessions the parents reported their son’s hyperactivity had briefly increased. In another early report, the boy appeared to take a brief interest in a sibling without licking or smelling. Thereafter the parents reported their son appeared to be picking up language cues more readily, and had added some new words to his limited vocabulary. After various setbacks the parents reported their son was having fewer tantrums and was apparently coping better at his day program. His Mother commented he was “calmer” and “not running ragged as much”. As traing progressed the parents reported their son was making fewer vocal sounds and had ceased all sniffing behaviors. The parents reported more socially participative behaviors at home and day care professionals concurred, reporting the boy had formed a relationship with a higher unctioning child. Midway through his training the parents reported significantly diminished repetitive behaviors and dramatically improved vocabulary and self-expression, along with greatly diminished hyperactivity. By the end of training the parents transitioned to home training, with reports of their son’s gradual advances in language acquisition and comprehension and advances in friend-making at the day program.

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