> Sejla Tukelija is a neurofeedback counsellor at STARTTS.

Neurofeedback therapy in the school setting – Angie’s story.

Angie is 9 years old with big brown eyes and a shy demeanour. She was referred to STARTTS by her school due to aggressive behaviour, and learning difficulties. She is also frequently distressed and appears sad –“she is morose and cries all day”. Teachers indicate that she has very poor relationships with peers partly as she is oversensitive to criticism.

Angie spent large part of her life in a refugee camp. She was four when her terrified mother escaped from soldiers who came to their village in Liberia killing people and burning houses. After a long and perilous journey with her mother and brother the family finally settled in a refugee camp in Guinea. Life was difficult and often very dangerous. They spent 3 years in this camp before arriving in Australia two years ago.

Angie’s mother is a single parent and works full time as a cleaner in a hotel. Her brother Thomas (12) appears to be taking responsibility for Angie and their 6 year old brother. DoCS was notified about the situation but was unable to offer any alternative solutions for the family.

On referral to STARTTS, Angie was allocated to me. Working in the Neurofeedback (NF) Clinic at STARTTS, I approached her assessment and treatment in a less traditional way using both NF and counselling. NF is a form of biofeedback, a concept with which we are actually very familiar from everyday life. The idea is: If you can sense it, you can change it.

In formal biofeedback we use technology to extend sensory perception into areas where we would normally be unaware, in this case, the electrical activity in our brains. Information about the brain-wave activities is displayed on the counsellor’s screen in a form of a graph while the child gets information about her brain activity in a form of changes in the computer game. The technology appears complicated and intrusive: sensors are attached to the scalp to record brain-waves while the child plays a computer game.

However, during the game children are often unaware of these sensors, being engrossed in the game. In fact, the sensors sit on the surface of the scalp and only read what is already there - they do not introduce anything into the brain.

In order to plan NF in a way that best addresses Angie’s presenting difficulties in the regulation of her affect and attention, a thorough assessment was conducted. This included:

• T.O.V.A. (Test of Variables of Attention) to assess attention problems;
• The Connors Teachers Rating Scale (completed by teachers) to provide a profile of her difficulties in the school environment and
• Clinical interviews with Angie and her mother In addition to the above,

Angie’s brain-wave pattern was similar to children with Attention Deficit Disorder. In all Angie came across as impulsive, inattentive, and anxious and often displays oppositional behaviour. In terms appropriate to the use of techniques like NF, Angie’s difficulties relate to difficulties with affect and attention regulation which impact directly on mood, peer relationships and scholastic performance.

Affect regulation is not often the direct target of NF in children like Angie but the intention is that it will be one of the benefits of the work on the regulation of her more cognitive functions. A NF protocol was thus developed to reward frequencies associated with alertness, attention and focus while at the same time inhibiting those that were making her drowsy and inattentive.

IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT – ANGIE’S RESPONSE TO NFT...

> Sejla Tukelija
Sejla is a neurofeedback counsellor at STARTTS. She has been with the service for over 12 years, working in various capacities, and has presented on neurofeedback therapy at national and international conferences.

© 2009 STARTTS  Contact: hintsforhealing@startts.org.au