Neurofeedback Recuperates Cognitive Functions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
Thirty neurofeedback sessions boosted working memory, planning and processing speed in autistic children and the gains lasted two months.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Saleem et al. (2024) gave 35 children with autism 30 neurofeedback sessions over ten weeks.
Kids watched their own brain waves on a screen and learned to make certain patterns bigger or smaller.
Before and after, the team gave standard tests of working memory, planning and processing speed.
What they found
Scores on all three cognitive tests went up after the training.
Gains were still there two months later, even with no extra sessions.
Parents also reported clearer thinking and faster homework finish times.
How this fits with other research
Older papers like Ozonoff et al. (2004) showed autistic children usually score low on the same planning and shifting tests.
The new study flips the script: the same weak skills can improve when kids train their EEG.
Granieri et al. (2020) pooled brain scans and found kids with autism use the prefrontal cortex but miss the parietal “team-mates.” Neurofeedback may help link those two areas, turning a wiring gap into a training target.
Garwood et al. (2021) used EEG before and after a social-skills class and saw coherence gains. Shemaila’s team used EEG feedback itself, showing the signal can be both the tool and the yard-stick.
Why it matters
You now have a low-risk add-on that can sharpen executive functions without extra drugs.
If a client struggles with working memory or slow processing, try adding a short neurofeedback block to the session.
Track scores on CANTAB or similar tests every month to see if real-life tasks like packing a backpack or following multi-step directions get easier.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and behaviors or interests. Besides behavioral, psychopharmacological and biomedical interventions there is increasing evidence of non-invasive treatments like neurofeedback (NFB) that can improve brain activity. In this study, we have investigated whether NFB can improve cognitive functions in children with ASD. Thirty-five children with ASD (7-17 years) were selected by purposive sampling. The subjects underwent 30 sessions of NFB training for 20 min over 10 weeks' period. Psychometric tests i.e. Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), IQ scoring and Reward sensitivity tests were administered at baseline. Pre and post NFB intervention assessment of executive functions, working memory and processing speed were done by NIH Toolbox Cognition Batteries. Friedman test revealed that children showed a statistically significant improvement in the NIH Tool Box cognitive assessments, including the Flankers Inhibitory Control and Attention Test (Pre-test = 3.63, Post-test = 5.22; p = 0.00), the Dimensional Change Card Sorting Test (Pre-test = 2.88, Post-test = 3.26; p = 0.00), the Pattern Comparison Processing Speed Test (Pre-test = 6.00, Post-test = 11:00; p = 0.00) and the List Sorting Working Memory Test (Pre-test = 4.00, Post-test = 6:00; p = 0.00), and displayed a trend of improvement at 2-month follow-up (Flankers Inhibitory Control and Attention Test (Post-test = 5.11 ± 2.79, Follow-Up = 5.31 ± 2.67; p = 0.21), the Dimensional Change Card Sorting Test (Post-test = 3.32 ± 2.37, Follow-Up = 3.67 ± 2.35; p = 0.054), the Pattern Comparison Processing Speed Test (Post-test = 13.69 ± 9.53, Follow-Up = 14.42 ± 10.23 p = 0.079) and the List Sorting Working Memory Test (Post-test = 6.17 ± 4.41, Follow-Up = 5.94 ± 4.03; p = 0.334). Our findings suggest NFB intervention for 10 weeks produce improvement in executive functions (Inhibitory Control and Attention and Cognitive Flexibility), Processing Speed and Working Memory in ASD Children.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2024 · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01308