Neurofeedback Therapy for Children Diagnosed With Autism

Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies83 enrolled

Overview

This project aims: * to further explore the effectiveness of a novel sonified Neurofeedback management therapy for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) * to determine if balance control is different before and after therapy

Once the informed consent of a parent or guardian has been secured, each child will be asked to provide informed assent. If the child elects to participate in the research project, he/she is enrolled in the study and assign to one of two groups: Active Comparator or Sham Comparator. If possible, his/her ability to maintain balance is then assessed using a standard extended mCTSIB protocol (standing for 25 seconds on a hard surface/4" tall foam cushion with eyes open/closed and head neutral/turned right/left/flexed or extended) and his/her baseline qEEG are recorded. A series of questionnaires will be administered to the child and/or his/her parents/legal guardian/caretaker. Afterward the child will be instructed to wear the prescribed device (either the Active Comparator (Mente Autism™) or the Sham Comparator (a device externally identical to Mente Autism™, providing binaural beats but not tailor-made neurofeedback binaural beats)) to use at home for 40 minutes a day for 12 weeks. At the end of the 12 weeks treatment period, the child will again be tested as at the beginning of the trial (posturography, qEEG, and questionnaires). At the end of the study, participants in the Sham Comparator group will be offered the option of receiving the full therapy.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Interventions

Mente Autism™DEVICE

A portable headband records EEG activity, and specialized algorithms convert the EEG activity into sonified binaural signals feeding them back to the user

ShamDEVICE

a device externally identical to Mente Autism™, providing binaural beats but not tailor-made neurofeedback binaural beats

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 2 YearsMax age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * a clear diagnosis of ASD and a high starting delta wave level, as confirmed by the initial qEEG. Furthermore, since the therapy is administered via a device requiring to be connected to a computer, tablet or phone with WiFi capabilities to work, the following are additional requirement: * iPhone 4s or later or all iPads except first generation iPAD running OS v7 or later, or * computer running Windows 7 or later * Tablet running Android 4.1 or later * Internet connection Exclusion Criteria: * a history of hearing impairment and co-morbidities such as Rett-Syndrome and if they get low delta wave recordings in frontal lobe with qEEG (part of the baseline testing battery)

Locations (1)

Plasticity Brain Centers

Orlando, Florida, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Changes in qEEG

Changes will be assessed between baseline (at enrollment) and after the treatment period. It will be used to investigate if Mente Autism™ therapy affect it and how much.