Neurofeedback for Learning Disabilities

The goal of this study was to determine if neurofeedback could improve basic reading, reading comprehension, reading composite, and IQ scores. Sixth, Seventh and Eighth graders identified as having learning difficulties were randomly assigned to neurofeedback or control groups. After an average of 28 sessions, it was found that neurofeedback improved scores on reading tests as well as Verbal and Full Scale IQ tests compared to no neurofeedback. These results support the notion that neurofeedback can help improve reading skills and IQ in students with learning disabilities.

Coben, R. et al (2015) studied 42 school-aged participants which were randomly assigned to 2-channel coherence neurofeedback or control groups. At the end of 20 sessions, it was observed that the neurofeedback group had improved reading scores compared to the control group. The neurofeedback group had an average reading enhancement of 1.2 grade levels.

The study looked at 10 children with learning disabilities that had higher than normal ratios of theta to alpha absolute power (theta/alpha) and divided them into the neurofeedback or control group. Neurofeedback was applied to the area with the highest ratio and was conducted for 30 minutes, twice per week. After 20 sessions, it was found that the neurofeedback group had significantly improved on the WISC (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children) test compared to the control group. As well, the neurofeedback group had decreased EEG absolute power in delta, theta, alpha and beta bands while the control group only showed decreased EEG absolute power in the delta band. Overall the neurofeedback group had better cognitive performance and greater EEG maturation than the control group indicating the neurofeedback treatment can have a positive impact on children with learning disabilities. 

Learning disabilities have an estimated prevalence between 5% and 9% in the pediatric population and are associated with difficulties in reading, arithmetic, and writing. EEG research has reported a lag in alpha-band development in specific learning disability phenotypes, which offers an explanation for differences in EEG maturation. In this study 40 adolescents aged 10-15 years with learning disabilities underwent 10 sessions of Live Z-Score training Neurofeedback (LZT-NF) Training to improve their cognition and behaviour. Based on their individual alpha frequency levels a group with normal alpha peak frequency and a group with low alpha peak frequency were compared in a pre-and-post-LZT-NF intervention. After the neurofeedback sessions both groups showed greater odds of moving impaired waves towards the norm.

This study investigated the effects of neurofeedback (NFB) training on attention in children with intellectual disability (ID). Twenty-one children with ID were assigned to an NFB training group (n = 7), to a visual perception (VP) training group (n = 7), or to a no-treatment group (n = 7). Two groups received 36 sessions of NFB or VP training, respectively, over 12 weeks. Children's Color Trails Test–2, Stroop Color and Word Test, and Digit Span were administered to all participants before and after training. The follow-up study was conducted with both the NFB and VP groups in the same way after 3 months. The EEGs of the NFB group also were measured. The NFB group showed significantly improved scores on all the tests compared to the 2 control groups. The brainwaves of the frontal lobes of the NFB group declined significantly in theta wave amplitude and theta-to-beta ratio. The NFB results were maintained in the follow-up study. Beta/SMR uptraining seemed to be an effective way to enhance attention in children with ID. 

Studies examining EEG neurofeedback treatment for Attention Deficit Disorders (ADD) and Learning Disabilities (LD) have shown relationships between Theta/Beta ratios (TBS’s) and enhanced attention, and measures of cognitive functioning including visual-motor integration. Thirty-eight children, ages 8-18 received neurofeedback where Beta was rewarded while Theta and EMG were inhibited and demonstrated significant reductions in TBR’s after an average of 46 sessions. They also demonstrated significant improvements in measures of visual-motor integration, and academic achievement.

Children with learning disabilities (LD) can have difficulties in reading at word level, text comprehension, writing or arithmetic. Several studies have shown the efficacy of neurofeedback (NF) in improving learning skills through brainwave operant conditioning in children with LD. Twenty-eight children aged 10-15 years with LD participated in in this study to show the efficacy of live z-score NF training (LZT) for quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) normalization in school children with LD. Ten 30-min sessions of QEEG-guided LZT using patient’s highly preferred feedback was applied. After 10 sessions participants showed statistically significant improvements in QEEG normalization and a statistically significant small to medium improvement in the Cognitive and Emotional checklist. The results suggest that LZT-NF produces a tendency towards normalization of brain waves in children with LD.

In this paper the specific learning disability is described as a defect in general academic skills in the areas of reading, mathematics and written expression. Furthermore, it creates a significant problem in terms of academic achievement, job performance or daily life activities. The study evaluates the effectiveness of the combination of cognitive rehabilitation and neurofeedback on specific learning disabilities in primary aged schoolchildren. 30 patients in two groups were selected as the experimental group, 15 for cognitive rehabilitations and neurofeedback and 15 for the control group using the Learning Disorder Diagnosis Test. Pre-test and post-tests were taken from both the experimental and control groups, after two months, follow-up tests were performed. The results of the study showed that after the invention, the treatment group improved in the specific learning variables of reading, writing and mathematics.

Children are diagnosed with learning disabilities (LD) when they have struggles with reading, writing and/or mathematical skills. These children with LD usually show slower resting state electroencephalogram (EEG) - slower delta and theta power and less gamma activity in posterior sites - and cognitive impairments in working memory (WM). Eighteen children with LD between eight to ten years of age were recruited for the study to determine the effects of neurofeedback (NFB) on their working memory. The children went through either 30 sessions of the NFB treatment or of the placebo-sham treatment. The participants’ behavioural performance and WM-related power-spectrum were analyzed pre- and post-treatment. The NFB treatment group demonstrated faster response times in the WM-task post-treatment. The NFB group also had increased gamma which was related to improved maintenance of memory representations and decreased beta related to reduced anxiety. Positive results were still found in these children with LD after a two-year follow-up.

This study looked at the effectiveness of neurofeedback training on reading performance and working memory in students with dyslexia. 36 students with reading disorders were equally divided into the control group and the experimental group. The experimental group received academic training along with 20 therapeutic neurofeedback training sessions, while the control group also received academic training, accompanied by 20 sham therapeutic neurofeedback training sessions. All students had 4 sessions a week, each lasting roughly 40 minutes. The Wechsler memory and Nema tests were administered pre- and post-training. As a result, neurofeedback training showed to improve working memory and all components of reading performance except for testing issue marks and naming images.

Children with learning disabilities present high levels of alpha and beta wave activities which harm development of their mental activities. Neurofeedback helps to reduce the proportion of alpha and theta waves and can result in improving reading, writing and mathematics skills. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of neurofeedback on the speed and accuracy of reading in 7-10 year-old children with learning disabilities. The sample, selected based on convenient sampling, consisted of 15 children with learning disabilities within the 7-10 year old age range. Participants received 15 sessions of neurofeedback. They were evaluated and compared in terms of reading and dyslexia tests of NAMA in two stages, before and after neurofeedback sessions. The results revealed that the differences were statistically significant for reading speed but not significant change in reading accuracy was observed before and after treatment.

Learning disorders are reflected in the educational patterns and information processing demonstrated. Children with these disabilities show high levels of alpha and beta waves which can have a negative effect on their mental activities. This study aimed to explore the effect of neurofeedback on reading speed and accuracy in 7- to 10-year old children with learning disabilities. 15 participants were recruited and underwent 15 sessions of neurofeedback. The participants were assessed through reading and dyslexia tests which were compared before and after neurofeedback sessions. As a result, there was significant improvement in reading speed when comparing pre- and post-test, however there were no significant changes in reading accuracy - indicating that more neurofeedback sessions are probably necessary. Overall, neurofeedback has a positive impact on reading skills of children with learning disabilities.

This study compared cognitive rehabilitation and neurofeedback on sustained attention in specific learning disorder (SLD). The results showed that the cognitive rehabilitation group reported higher scores for sustained attention compared to the neurofeedback group.

Children with learning disabilities (LD) frequently have an EEG characterized by an excess of theta and a deficit of alpha activities. NFB using an auditory stimulus as a reinforcer has proven to be a useful tool to treat LD children by positively reinforcing decreases of the theta/alpha ratio. The aim of this study was to optimize the NFB procedure by comparing the efficacy of visual (with eyes open) versus auditory (with eyes closed) reinforcers. Twenty LD children with an abnormally high theta/alpha ratio were randomly assigned to the Auditory or the Visual group, where a 500 Hz tone or a visual stimulus (a white square), respectively, was used as a positive reinforcer when the value of the theta/alpha ratio was reduced. Both groups had signs consistent with EEG maturation, but only the Auditory Group showed behavioral/cognitive improvements. In conclusion, the auditory reinforcer was more efficacious in reducing the theta/alpha ratio, and it improved the cognitive abilities more than the visual reinforcer.

This report is a 2-year follow-up to a previous study describing positive behavioral changes and a spurt of EEG maturation with theta/alpha neurofeedback (NFB) training in a group of Learning Disabled (LD) children. In a control paired group, treated with placebo, behavioral changes were not observed and the smaller maturational EEG changes observed were easily explained by increased age. Two years later, the EEG maturational lag in Control Group children increased, reaching abnormally high theta Relative Power values; the absence of positive behavioral changes continued and the neurological diagnosis remained LD. In contrast, after 2 years EEG maturation did continue in children who belonged to the Experimental Group with previous neurofeedback training; this was accompanied by positive behavioral changes, which were reflected in remission of LD symptoms.

 Mathematics disorder is a condition in which a child’s math ability is far below normal for their age, intelligence and education. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Neurofeedback (NFB) training on the executive functioning of children with mathematics disorder. The researchers conducted a quasi-experimental study consisting of 10 students with dyscalculia (learning disability in math). The students were randomly assigned to an experimental NFB group and a control group. The NFB group underwent 20 sessions over 45 days and the control group sat in front of the computer for 20 sessions without any NFB training. After the training, all students performed various performance tests; Tower of London, Stroop test, and the Cornwald working memory test to evaluate their executive functioning. The results of the study showed that neurofeedback training had a significant effect on the executive functioning of students with dyscalculia. 

This study provides evidence for a highly efficient closed-loop paradigm that modifies a learning scenario using real time brain activity for the purpose of improving learning performance in a perceptual-cognitive training paradigm known as 3 dimensional multiple object tracking (3D-MOT). 40 participants free of any diagnosed cognitive or emotional impairments or psychoactive medication were seperated into 4 groups; the NT group that underwent standard 3D-MOT training, the CON group that was a non-active control, the NT-NFB group which was the active neurofeedback group and a sham neurofeedback group. All participants underwent training over 6 months. The results showed that over 10 sessions, the speed and the degree of learning can be substantially improved compared to a classic learning system or an active sham-control group. Specifically, the NT-NFB group out-performed all other groups and demonstrated a better learning curve. The researchers also found that superior performance persisted even after the feedback signal was removed which suggests that the effects of the NFB training are consolidated and do not depend on continued feedback. 

 The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation and neurofeedback on the improvement of executive functions in children with dyslexia. The researchers conducted a quasi-experimental study which included thirty-six 8-12 year old children with dyslexia. The participants were randomly assigned to one of the two experimental groups or the control group. One of the experimental groups received eleven 60min sessions of cognitive rehabilitation with a working memory training software and the other experimental group received 45min sessions of neurofeedback therapy. The control group received no intervention. All three groups’ performances were evaluated at pre-intervention, post-intervention and at a two-month followup period using the Reading and Dyslexia Test and Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function. The results of the study found that both cognitive rehabilitation and neurofeedback were both significantly effective in improving executive functioning at pre and post-test. There were no significant differences between the use of cognitive rehabilitation and neurofeedback. This study demonstrates that using both cognitive rehabilitation and neurofeedback can be extremely effective in improving the executive functioning of children with dyslexia. 

 The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of NFB treatment on executive functioning and math performance of children with specific learning disorder with mathematics specifier.  This case study consisted of a multiple baseline design of different people focusing on one behavior. 3 subjects, 7-9 years of age, with dyscalculia received 20 sessions of neurofeedback therapy, two sessions a week. The NFB training targeted the frontal area; the center of executive functions and cognitive activity. To evaluate their performance, all participants completed a clinical CAS test and math test; before and after the treatment. The results of the study showed that NFB training was effective on high beta/beta ratio, theta/beta ratio, beta balance, alpha push and attention, successive processing, simultaneous processing (CAS test) and mathematics skills. 

 This study investigated the use of NFB  training on perceived control of brain waves and expressed aggression. The researchers conducted a field experiment with a pre-test/post-test control group design which involved 40 dyslexic students from five learning disabilities centers in China. 20 participants were randomly assigned to the experimental group where they underwent 8 neurofeedback training classes and 20 participants were assigned to the control group where they received no training. Results of the study demonstrated that the NFB training programs had a positive effect on dyslexic students’ aggression by protecting dyslexic students from an increase in expresseed aggression during the reading of words and texts. Additionally, the perceived control of brain waves increased in the NFB group but remained unchanged for the control group.  This study provides evidence for the beneficial use of neurofeedback on dyslexic students with aggression. 

This study evaluated the treatment of mathematics disorder using neurofeedback.  The neurofeedback treatment focused on the enhancement of beta/theta ratio in Cz region. Twenty-eight 3rd grade students participated in the study, with 14 students receiving NFB treatment and 14 students receiving a placebo treatment. Each student received 20 sessions of NFB therapy for 10-12 weeks. A mathematics test was completed 3 times; before treatment, after the 20th session and after a year. Results of the study showed that the effect of the real NFB treatment was significant compared to the placebo group. They also found that the difference between the pre-test and post-test was significant only in males and not significant in females. Overall they found that mathematics performance was improved significantly and that this effect was also seen after 1 year.