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The Effects of Stimulant Therapy, EEG Biofeedback, and Parenting Style on the Primary Symptoms of Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder

Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, Vol. 27, No. 4, Dec. 2002
Authors: Vincent J. Monastra, Donna M. Monastra, Susan George

One hundred children, ages 6–19, who were diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), either inattentive or combined types, participated in a study examining the effects of Ritalin, EEG biofeedback, and parenting style on the primary symptoms of ADHD. All of the patients participated in a 1-year, multimodal, outpatient program that included Ritalin, parent counseling, and academic support at school (either a 504 Plan or an IEP). Fifty-one of the participants also received EEG biofeedback therapy. Posttreatment assessments were conducted both with and without stimulant therapy. Signi?cant improve¬ment was noted on the Test of Variables of Attention (TOVA; L. M. Greenberg, 1996) and the Attention De?cit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES; S. B. McCarney, 1995) when participants were tested while using Ritalin. However, only those who had received EEG biofeedback sustained these gains when tested without Ritalin. The results of a Quantita¬tive Electroencephalographic Scanning Process (QEEG-Scan; V. J. Monastra et al., 1999) revealed signi?cant reduction in cortical slowing only in patients who had received EEG biofeedback. Behavioral measures indicated that parenting style exerted a signi?cant mod¬erating effect on the expression of behavioral symptoms at home but not at school.

KEY WORDS: EEG biofeedback; ADHD; Ritalin; parenting style; outcome studies.

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