Q - My 25 year old son has had symptoms since childhood that I now know are suggestive of mild Asperger's. It will take a year to get him assessed. He has also had life-long problems with sleep. He is currently in grad school, and having increasing difficulties managing his life. Is your therapy likely to help, and if so, how many sessions are likely to be needed?
A - We see many adults with ASD, many of whom are functioning very well with some minor ASD like behaviors. Your son may have several modest brain dysfunctions that are causing the difficulties. Sleep, for example, can be quite independent of ASD but the poor quality may exacerbate the ASD behaviors. Generally, with Asperger's we find a deficiency in the right prefrontal brain regions that are associated with poor social skills. The treatment of this condition, assuming that the above suppositions are correct, would not require many visits. As part of the treatment, once the frontal brain regions are corrected, we would provide some behavioral therapy to help with social skills acquisition.I would guess that 20-30 sessions would be adequate. However, this is just a guess based on the limited information. We can be far more precise once an intake brain assessment is completed. |
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Q - Hello- My 16 year old son has recently competed a psychoeducational assessment. In the WISC IV, he scored in the 2nd percentile for processing speed and 42nd for working memory. He is healthy. Can your methods improve processing speed?
A - Yes, neurotherapy can be very helpful for processing speed issues. The processing difficulties can result from many different areas of the brain including imbalances in the frontal regions of the brain, excessive slow frequency at various loocations and slow Alpha frequency. First step is to determine the exact nature and location of the brain inefficiencies and then correct them with neurotherapy. |
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Q - We have an appointment in May for our son who is turning 7 and has been diagnosed with ADHD together with ODD and has not been medicated nor will be. My extended health coverage through the BCMA will be covering some of the visit costs but my question is if it is determined after the initial consultation that neurotherapy will help (and after reading the Q&A page I understand that there will be quite a few sessions) is there a timeframe in which these sessions need to be completed in and how is it decided how many sessions will be needed? Also, do these sessions include any sort of behaviour modification counseling with the child and parents? Thank you
A - Much depends on the type of ADHD that we are dealing with. Some forms respond very quickly with minimal need for behaviour therapy or work with parents. Other forms, particularly with older male children, can take many sessions and the behaviour modification component is major and central to successful treatment. Generally it is important to do the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the treatments fairly close together, once per week, and after that we spread them out to every 2 weeks then once per month and so on. We will be able to be more precise about treatment parameters after the initial intake. |
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Q - We live in St. John's Newfoundland. We have a 12 year old daughter diagnosed with ASD. She is reasonably high functioning, but has quite a few anxiety issues. We have used ABA therapy since she was about two and a half years old, which has met with success, for the most part. However, as she becomes older, her anxiety and behaviour is becoming more difficult to manage. We have begun to look at other options, including medication. I found this site quite by accident and I am really not sure how it all works. I would guess that we would have to fly to BC for an assessment and so on. I would also guess that it would all be quite costly. Could you give me any idea as to the cost of an assessment, and to the cost of what comes after that? Do treatments continue or is it a one time thing? Thank you in advance for your help.
A - With high functioning ASD clients we usually proceed with the basic intake EEG assessment rather than the full 19 site QEEG. The cost of the basic intake is $180. The cost of treatment averages about $105 per session. The treatments are covered by some extended medical programs and what is not covered is a tax deductible medical expense. Many clients are able to deduct the traveling expenses as well so I would suggest you consult with your tax person to determine if the travel and expenses while receiving treatment may be tax deductible. When coming from long distances people usually come for a period of intensive treatment, two sessions per day, 6 days per week for about two weeks. Often this is adequate but occasionally people return for another series of treatments after 6 to 10 months. The gains that are made in neurotherapy are stable so continued treatment is not required. However, many parents of more severe ASD children come on a weekly basis for an extended period of time because they continue to see progress associated with the neurotherapy. From long distances that is not possible, of course, but we can give you some treatment procedures that you can apply on a continuing basis at home. |
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Q - Can you detect and treat dissociative disorders with neurotherapy? Would a person with multiple personalities have different EEG results, depending on which personality was "out"? I am aware that I dissociate easily and I suspect I may have multiple personalities, although I have not been properly assessed. My symptoms are subtle (to other people) and I have an atypical trauma history as an adult. I often feel like a chameleon living a surreal life and I frequently have to fight with my own brain because it seems to have a mind of it's own. Or perhaps I have just one very complex personality suffering from lingering PTSD. In any case, I am certain there is something really out of whack with my brain and I am looking for relief from the symptoms that are holding me back in life.
A - We see many clients with dissociative disorders. You probably have seen the literature that the EEG is often quite different depending on which alter is manifest, although it is not unusual for DOD people to have a single EEG profile. Trauma is always part of the clinical picture and resolving the trauma and integrating the alters is the thrust of treatment. The neurotherapy is of considerable benefit in this process. When dealing with more serious problems such as DOD with alters, we generally go immediately to a full brain map rather than start with the basic intake assessment. The reason is that with DOD with alters, the brain site to brain site interactions are important and to determine these interactions we need all nineteen sites of simultaneously recorded brainwave data. |
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Q - Hello, my brother had a significant head trauma and surgery a while back. He has been receiving the psychoneurophysiology treaments and has had wonderful results. He was injured at work and is now collecting from Worker's Comp. and Social Security. We've asked both of these agengies to pay for the treatments but they've both indicated they would not. Have you known either of these agengies to pay for the treatments and if so, do you have any advice on any method/tactic I could use to compel them to start paying for what they rightly should? Thanks, Dan
A - Both of these agencies have paid for client's treatment although, like all insurance companies, they refuse to acknowledge that they have. Best tactics: Keep in mind that there are only two variables of importance 1. Whose desk your file falls upon (over which you have no control) and 2. How loudly you scream in the file manager's ear (over which you have complete control). |
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Q - Have you clinic in london and how much does it cost?
A - We do not have a clinic in London. For costs at other clinics you should consult that provider directly. To find a provider in your vicinity go to www.bcia.org for a list of certified neurotherapists. |
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Q - Is there a treatment center close to Cincinnati Ohio? Also, Brockville, Ontario (1 hour from Ottawa)? As background... our daughter has had epilepsy since 3 years of age...she is 13 currently. She was on the ketogenic diet when she was 5 years old with great success, but at that time she had only absence seizures. We took her off of the diet because she developed a large kidney stone requiring surgery. She has been on multiple medications since that period with no sustained success. She has focal/generalized seizures and has absence seizures as well and has started the ketogenic diet again about 5 months ago with some success.
A - For a useful account of neuroptherapeutic treatment of conditions such as you describe see Arlene Martell's excellent book "Getting Adam Back", available online at www.gettingadamback.com. For qualified practitioners in Cincinnati call Dr. Colura at 440-232-6000 for recommendations. For Brockville, call Drs. Michael and Lynda Thompson, who are in Toronto area but would know of qualified practitioners in the area, at 416-803-8066. |
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Q - Your site says you have proven treatment that delays and reverses dementias, and that likely delays Alzheimer’s disease. My neurologist and internist say that there is no intervention yet proven to reverse Alzheimer dementia or prevent it or delay it. Do you have references to clinical trial reports that I could take to them to discuss this further?
A - The research to-date indicates that neurotherapeutic treatment can markedly improve cognitive functioning in elderly clients experiencing age related declines. Regarding Alzheimer's, the research indicates that the process can be delayed if treatment started early. For more advanced cases, care-givers usually report improvements but in my experience the improvements are not significant. Your physicians are correct in that there is no evidence suggesting reversal of Alzheimer dementia although, again, in the cases we have treated the care-givers report improvements. Non-Alzheimer's dementia, on the other hand, is a completely different issue and in these cases the benefits of neurotherapy are marked. The research group at University of Salzburg (Hanslmayr, S., Sauseng, P., Doppelmayr, M., Schabus, M., and Klimesch, W. (2005). Increasing individual upper alpha power by neurofeedback improves cognitive performance in human subjects. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, 30, 1-10) has published several articles showing the benefits of neurotherapy on cognitive and immune functioning in elderly clients. I would also suggest that you access the International Society for Neuronal Research web-site www.ISNR.ORG and download the research bibliography prepared by Dr. Hammond. |
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Q - Can neurotherapy help a person who has been diagnosed as having dysthymia? If so, what would be involved? What would neurotherapy for dysthymia involve?
A - The treatment for dysthymia is similar to that for depression. The first step is to do a brainwave assessment to determine the areas of inefficiency in brain functioning. After the area(s) are identified, we do neurotherapy to normalize brain functioning. If there are any psychological issues such as trauma, we do some brief adjunctive therapy to help process. We also generally prescribe some treatments that you administer to yourself at home to speed up the process. The success rate for neurotherapy in treatment of dysthymia and depression is excellent. |
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Q - It is my experience that ADD and ADHD do not really exist. A very large company in Switzerland invented the disorder in order to sell volumes of Ritalin to sell and have made billions of dollars since. Is this disorder not just normal child activity as Erikson would suggest. How do we buy into this marketing ploy.
A - I agree. Everyone has some cognitive inefficiencies and when there are several or some that are more severe it interferes with child's ability to attend and or sit still. We optimize brain functioning, with neurotherapy, to reduce the troubling aspects of the inefficiencies. As you suggest, we are medicating the normal behaviour of children, more so for the boisterous and male, which is an outrage. |
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Q - My daughter has been tested for epilepsy , there are no grounds for this but still a fit after a highly emotional discussion or telephone call . Could you recommend someone in Sydney who specialises with EFT and is in the medical profession.
A - You do not state the age of your daughter. If she is in teens or older you may be dealing with pseudoseizure disorder which is trauma based. EFT not a good treatment of choice for this condition although it can be used adjunctively to neurotherapy or experientially based therapies. I do not know any EFT practitioners in Sydney but for neurotherapy go to BCIA.ORG and click on "find a practitioner" and look for someone certified in EEG in your location. |
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Q - Hello Dr. Swingle, Have you treated any patients with dystonia before? My father has cervical dystonia (spasmodic torticollis) and his neck is twisted and his head tilts to one side permanently. This is causing him great pain. His neck has been best described looking "like a big towel being wrung out". The conventional treatment for dystonia is botox injections. He tried that for several years and it relieved the twisting a bit. But it left his neck muscles so "relaxed", he could not hold up his head (he had to use his hand to cup up his chin). Botox also lasted only about six months before wearing out. Since dystonia is considered a neurological disorder, is there anything you have done (or can do) to help patients suffering from it? Thank you and I look forward to hearing from you.
A - We see many clients with various forms of dystonia. As you note, the treatment with Botox tends not to be very useful in the long term because of habituation, and side effects. The treatment that we use for torticollis is usually to increase the amplitude of the brainwave associated with body quiescence as well as the brainwave associated with calming of the central nervous system. The former is the same brainwave that is implicated in the treatment of various seizure disorders. In addition to neurotherapy, we generally also do some peripheral biofeedback, usually of the musculature in the neck, back and face. Once we see some improvement in brainwave patterning, we generally refer the client for some adjunctive work with a physician who specializes in Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS). IMS is very effective in conjunction with neurotherapy for conditions such as dystonia and involves inserting needles (acupuncture type needles) into critical areas of the implicated muscles. The first step is to have a brain assessment to determine if the commonly implicated brain regions are, in fact, outside normative parameters. A treatment plan is then established which includes the above described regimen as well as some self-administered treatments such as cranial microamperage stimulation. |
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Q - Would these methods be beneficial to intestinal health as I have been diagnosed with a poor digestive system in that my esophagus is only working at 40% pressure. I have sleep apnea as well.
A - For problems of intestinal health I would be more inclined to focus on peripheral biofeedback rather than neurotherapy. Peripheral biofeedback, particularly peripheral blood flow and muscle (EMG) has been found effective in these cases. Occasionally, when peripheral biofeedback is not successful we do some neurotherapy on a particular brain wave associated with body calming (sensory motor rhythm). I would also recommend that you consult with a good naturopathic physician. I would request only a consult seeking recommendations for supplements. The naturopath may recommend a combination that we have found useful including l-lysine, enteric omega 3, a probiotic, and St. John's Wort. However, the most important treatment is for you to see a sleep expert to get a device to help with your sleep apnea. You may find that if the apnea is improved many of your other problems are reduced. |
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Q - Have you treated anyone for Restless Leg Syndrone? I am in Vernon BC, is there anyone closer and/or how frequently would I have to travel to Vancouver. I also suffer from Depression, Anxiety....thank you
A - Yes we see many clients with RLS. We also find that many clients with RLS have very poor quality sleep which, in turn, can cause or exacerbate your depression and anxiety. Before coming for treatment you might want to try 250mg of vitamin B6 just before going to bed. Many clients find that B6 quiets the muscle restlessness allowing for improved sleep. If that doesn't help, we would proceed with a brain assessment to determine the problematic areas to be corrected with neurotherapy. Unfortunately, there are no certified neurotherapy practitioners in your area. |
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