Neurofeedback Testimonial & Review For Our Son With Anxiety and ADHD
My husband and I have been trying to get pre-approved by insurance for neurofeedback sessions for our 8 year old son for over two months now. I thought I might document a bit of what is has been like just trying to find the right forms of treatment for him, and give you our family's honest neurofeedback testimonial and review for our son's anxiety and adhd.
Because as any parent knows, trying to figure out these things is not so very easy when it's not a clear-cut diagnosis, or if it's something you suspect based off of behavior only.
My Three Readers is focused on helping parents and teachers help beginning and struggling readers, and I'm here to tell you that if your child has anxiety, or ADHD it can profoundly affect academic performance. So, hopefully something in this post or the next one can help struggling readers as well.
(Please note: A couple of years later, I've updated this post and followed up with how all this turned out for us in a following post with my advice and tips for you, so look for that in Part two - ADHD and more of our journey with our son to balance and health.)
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What can cause dizziness in a child?
Since my son was about 3 (our youngest), we began to notice several behavioral issues. The most prominent was a dizziness that seemed to overwhelm him at times.
He would say "it's moving!" and his eyes would roll around and he would get super SUPER anxious, run around need to be held for half an hour, screaming, crying and generally miserable until this feeling of motion passed.
Our response over time was first - to tell the pediatrician (my first thought was childhood vertigo, which it turned out not to be). Our pediatrician sent us to an audiologist and a pediatric ophthalmologist, neither of whom found anything to be wrong with his hearing or his sight.
We went back though to these specialists for several years each time confirmation that this was not the problem.
Noticing our son has anxiety problems
As time went on, the "moving" problem progressed. Other issues manifested. Extreme separation anxiety (EXTREME I tell you!).
I've had my other children wailing in the halls of the church corridor outside the classroom for weeks on end, believe me. This was on a whole new level.
Another new issue: defiance and opposition and an inability to understand cause & effect.
No matter how rigid or disciplined we as parents set out to be, he would forget in record time what consequence just happened and set out to disobey again within seconds. Or he couldn't/ wouldn't even verbally agree that there should results of bad actions or hypothetical actions (if we were just in a "teaching" moment).
Back to the pediatrician we went. This time a referral to a psychologist. I called this psychologist though and was so turned off by questions asked and after we "interviewed" each other I felt this was not the answer for us.
If you have a child with explosive anger problem, I highly recommend the book, "The Explosive Child", to give you some great tips and actionable advice.
Finding a Pediatric Neurologist
So we went to a pediatric neurologist. After listening to my story and ruling out any kind of tumor or extreme problem, he thought maybe my son was dealing with some kind of physical obstruction in the inner ear area (causing the vestibular/ dizziness problems), so he decided to treat him as one would for a migraine.
He was put on a seizure / migraine medication called Keppra and we set a date for an EEG and MRI to get the full picture.
The Keppra was a nightmare. His anger and oppositional issues skyrocketed. At one point, he walked up to a complete stranger and stomped on his foot as hard as he could! He was waking up yelling bad words and just could not control his own emotions.
So off the meds we went (immediately). I think we gave it 4-5 days before the foot-stomping incident. I gathered from the doctor that the only change he would make would be to put him on another medication.
Nothing from the MRI or EEG results would really help us, except perhaps to have concrete information for his records. The same course of medication would be taken though.
After much deliberation, we decided not to continue down the course with the neurologist (at that time). I will note that at the time we tried Keppra, we did not yet have his official ADHD diagnosis.
So, I don't know if Keppra and ADHD had an effect on our situation or not, since at the time we were focusing more on fixing his "dizziness" issue.
ADHD Sensory Processing Disorder, ADHD and sensory issues.
It was at about this point that I started to hear about the term Sensory Processing Disorder. Sam's story seemed to fit this narrative.
The vestibular issues he has could be attributed to neurological problems similar to those under the umbrella of Autism, ADHD, etc. The anxiety and oppositional problems also might be caused by sensory issues. ADHD and sensory issues can overlap as well.
So, we made an appointment on the advice of a friend to go to an initial appointment to see an Occupational Therapist. She spent 45 minutes with Sam, watching him play, asking him questions, being pretty thorough.
She put together a "sensory diet" of play activities and exercises that he could do. This was not covered by insurance and so we paid out of pocket.
We continued the exercises for quite a while and maybe they helped, but very little. However, I feel they were still worth it, because these type of sensory exercises can help for both ADHD & Sensory Processing Disorder.
As a side note, and as I understand it, although many therapists will "diagnose" a child for sensory processing disorder, it is not actually an official diagnosis as it pertains to the official Diagnostic Journals that doctors use to prescribe.
True sensory processing disorder is complicated by the fact that many of the symptoms overlap with other conditions that are diagnosable.
The cost of ongoing therapy in this matter for Sam would have costed us a ton of money. We would have made it happen, had we thought it was the answer for us.
Meanwhile, though, we decided to use the information we'd been given to implement at home, and use our resources to explore other options.
What is Brain Balance for ADHD?
After hearing advertisements on the radio, we looked into Brain Balance. Started by the author of The Disconnected Kid, by Dr. Robert Melillo, this group specifically works with children who exhibit behavioral issues under the umbrella of Sensory-Processing-Disorder or autism, ADHD, anxieties, ODD, etc.
This clinic is holistic and is therapy not covered by insurance (surprise - lol!). It costs around $6000 for the first 3 months and it includes sessions several times a week, plus home exercises tailored to the child and support for what they dub "Balance 360", instruction on how to eat healthy and eliminate foods that might cause food allergies and/or sensitivities.
We didn't follow the Balance360 program very well, although we did try to apply it in balance to our family's food lifestyle. I did elimination diets one by one for things like the dye Red 40, soy, gluten, and milk as best I could (without losing my mind).
However, we did do the exercises and showed up to sessions very religiously.
And.. it was working. The home exercises really seemed to help. We could see major changes in behavior and slowly, slowly the dizziness seemed to be getting slowly better. It was so exciting!
After Brain Balance, Sam regressed a bit. We could have kept going continuously, but it just cost way too much, and we felt the need to keep exploring options for a real diagnosis.
You might also be interested in reading these articles:
How to Help a Child With ADHD in School
How to Teach Spelling to Active Learners
23 Tips for Kids with School Drop-off Anxiety or School Refusal
Seeing a psychologist to diagnose our son's anxiety & ADHD
During our 3 months, Sam's performance in school did show improvement, but he was still very behind in reading and writing by probably a year to a year and a half. The 3rd grade test was looming in the not-too-distant future. Academic progress was still an issue, and it just didn't make sense.
The kid is super smart! He has an excellent vocabulary and a way of memorizing/ understanding technical and mechanical issues that is impressive. It just wasn't showing up on paper or in reading.
His brain just didn't seem to "compute" that way as easily. So, in order to get more individual help at the public school we attend, I decided to revisit with a different child psychologist. This time I did my own homework and research and picked one that we were happy with.
After testing, he was officially diagnosed with Separation Anxiety Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
The psychologist suspected that perhaps the vestibular "dizziness" could be psychosomatic manifestations of his anxiety. We had him tested at school and he began to receive individual instruction for reading, which helped.
Neurofeedback Began To Look Like A Viable Option:
Our choices for treatment were: therapy, meds or both. And I had also heard that neurofeedback for ADHD and anxiety were groundbreaking with amazing results. So, we've decided to pursue this before going forth with meds or therapy.
We found the best therapist who administers neurofeedback sessions in our city. (Beware those of you considering neurofeedback! Not all clinics are the same. Not all equipment for neurofeedback is the best. Be sure you choose a clinic (if more than one are available to you) that has the latest in technology and isn't just trying to "crank out" patients for neurofeedback. Check credentials and read reviews!)
She gave us the proper insurance codes to call insurance with and see if we are covered. The preliminary EEG - yes! The neurofeedback sessions - maybe. We needed to have our doctor submit preapproval forms.
So this I did. I ran the papers over to psychologists's office, asked them to FAX them asap to our insurance (BCBS). I called back a couple days later, still hadn't gotten to it. Kept calling every few days and finally a couple of weeks later when they still hadn't submitted the paperwork, I asked our pediatrician to do it. Which they did on the same day. (Be nice to the nurses! They can get things moving :))
The waiting commenced. Two weeks later we get the letter in the mail - denied. I was so very disappointed but decided right away that we would appeal. According to the therapist, neurofeedback for ADHD and anxiety is listed as a Level ONE intervention (same level as Ritalin or other meds) by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
After beginning the process of filling out paperwork for the appeal, I realized quickly that our nurse had submitted the WRONG codes for nuerofeedback. We hadn't even been turned down for the proper codes!
So I called the doctor's office back and had them resubmit the paperwork for the correct medical codes. WHEW. Now that I type all this out, I realize that this took a lot of chasing down.
That was two weeks ago. I call BCBS regularly and so far, it's been tossed from department to department and now they are reviewing it in Behavioral Health. I'm again waiting! It's been about a week and I eagerly go to the mailbox each day hoping to see the approval. If we don't get it, I will appeal. Eventually and soon though, we'll just pay out of pocket for the sessions, which will cost us a couple thousand dollars.
Meanwhile, my Sam is slowly, slowly progressing academically but not fast enough for me to stop worrying. I just hope he can keep up enough to not get down about himself. That would be so unfair considering what an amazing and yes - very smart kid he is!
And the anxiety and oppositional defiance persists and overwhelms our family at times, although our best efforts at consistent correction and the regular Brain Balance exercises do help keep it somewhat at bay. I plan to write more as we continue down this path of seeking insurance and then as we endeavor upon sessions. So stay tuned, I'll let you know how it goes!
*Edited to add - It's been about a week since I posted this (today is 2/7) and I am still waiting on insurance. When I called to check, they said it could take up to 30 days. I'm about 20 days in on that wait. So still watching the mailbox eagerly! (More on this in post two).
The standardized test for 3rd grade reading
As I mentioned before, most of what my blog focus is now about is how to help beginning readers, and especially struggling readers. I've noticed a major overlap though, between many ADHD kids and having academic or reading struggles, so I really hope our path of treatment can be encouraging to you.
As I end this article, my son was ending his 2nd grade year in school. Here in Oklahoma, our kids have to take a test in the 3rd grade to be able to enter 4th. As a result, the teachers in the schools are laser focused on test-taking skills and getting the kids to pass that oh-so-important test.
Unfortunately for us, although he had been receiving reading services at his school, they had been also giving him ongoing RTI testing to determine what level of services he would be eligible for.
By the end of the year, he took the final RTI test for extra reading services, and he score 3% over what he needed to get services. So in other words, they would not give him extra help for reading, even though it was profoundly clear that he needed it, because he just slightly scored too high. Talk about slipping a child between the cracks. I was not a happy mama.
My son, diagnosed with anxiety, does not do well at ALL with these type tests, despite the fact that he is smart as a whip. So - I'll let you know in post two what we decided for his 3rd grade year, and more of our story.
I hope you are finding answers on your path. I know it can be a long and scary road as you try to find answers for not only your child, but for you and your family to have peace in your home. You can do this and figure it out too, I know you can!
Part Two is HERE if you would like to hear more about our journey and all we've learned.
Thank you for sharing your story as we begin ours, it helps a lot. Good luck.
Hello Amy – we have a son who has very similar issues. One quick question – has the neurofeedback helped with the dizziness/vestibular issues?
Hi Patrick! We found neurofeedback to help our son, yes. Although not a cure, it did help some. He really doesn’t have very many dizziness issues anymore. I think he has just learned how to deal with it and make it go away on his own. He tends to get dizzy when he has anxiety. I’m sorry your son is struggling with this and I hope the best for you both!
I’m curious what type of testing your school used to determine if your son could continue getting services. And by “services,” I’m guessing that just meant an extra intervention? He didn’t have an IEP or 504, right? Schools have a legal obligation to administer formal, standardized assessments, at least partially administered by a school psychologist, to determine if a child is eligible for special education services, if a parent requests it, regardless of how or whether that child is receiving extra support through RTI and where they are in RTI process. Children DO NOT have to go through the full RTI process before being found eligible for an IEP. Your son would likely be found eligible for special education services under the disability category of Other Health Impairment due to his medical diagnoses, if testing was completed. I know that ultimately you decided to homeschool your child, but if he ever went back to public school, I would suggest going directly to the special education administrator at your son’s school and requesting that a formal special education evaluation including academic testing, psychological testing, behavior rating scales, and a classroom observation be completed to determine if your son is eligible for services under the category of Other Health Impairment. If they say they cannot do that because he made progress in RTI, you’d probably need to move up in the hierarchy of the district or consult the school psychologist directly. You can do this before school even starts, because testing can take several months.
Hi Alicia, Thank you so much for responding! You are right about everything you said above.. The services I mentioned were just for pull-out reading. We were JUST grappling with the ADHD diagnosis, meds, etc., so I had not started the process of going for the IEP or the 504 yet.
Here was my dilemma: it was the end of the year, and I knew that if I started down the road of getting the IEP or 504, it would indeed take several months. Looking at the timeline, I could see that he would not be able to pass that third grade test, and so my choice was to pull him or realize that he would be held back a grade in the end. Which – would have completely destroyed his little heart. So, I felt like he was best at home. It’s been a while now since I wrote this, but in the end I did get a 504 at the charter school, but even with a 504 and testing accomodations, I just felt like the state standards were beyond ridiculous when he was struggling in the basics.
BUT if I were a parent staying in the system, or going back into the system, I would FOR SURE move heaven and earth to get him that IEP. A 504 would not have been enough I don’t think. It really falls to the parent to pursue this doggedly in most situations..
Thank you so much for reaching out!