What could be more pleasant than making yourself comfortable in the cold season and reading a good book? Especially when you have to stay at home anyway and can update your Neurofeedback knowledge at the same time? We make this thought even more beautiful by giving you just such a book as a present! Take part in our pre-Christmas book raffle!

Among all customers and newsletter subscribers we raffle the book:

"Restoring the brain" by Hanno W. Kirk published in 2020 in 2nd extended and revised edition

Here you can find a short book review

Participation is very easy

Subscribe to our newsletter here and tick the box to enter our book raffle.

You are a customer and already receive our newsletter? Just send us an e-mail to [email protected] and you will be entered in the prize draw. You can participate until 10th of December 2020 inclusive!

What happens then?

The winners will be informed of the prize by e-mail as soon as possible. Please note that we will then also need your address details so that we can send the book to you before Christmas! One entry per person is possible. However, you are very welcome to inform interested colleagues about this promotion and thus perhaps increase the chances that a copy of the book will soon be available in your practice.

Further information on the conditions of participation

It is not possible to pay out the prize in cash to exchange or transfer it to other persons.

Employees of the BEE Medic GmbH and affiliated companies as well as employees of the companies providing the prize are excluded from participation. Furthermore, all persons who are or were employed in the creation or processing of the competition as well as their spouses or life partners.

We would also like to point out that the competition and the prizes are voluntary services on our part, for which the same scope of warranty and liability does not apply as, for example, in the case of purchase of the raffled prizes independent of the competition. Detailed conditions of participation and information on data protection can be found here.

Many countries are in a second lockdown right now. Even if most schools remain open and students may attend classes, experiences of the homeschooling phase are still present to many. We want to discuss the potential opportunities and risks of digital learning and teaching formats for children with AD(H)D.

In school, children are not only taught knowledge and skills such as reading and writing, but they also experience socialisation with peers, form social and communicative skills and develop personality traits outside the family environment. However, Covid-19 pandemic changes the everyday lives of many students. Homeschooling, digital learning and other concepts had to be implemented since March 2020 and are currently being reconsidered due to increasing infections and new lockdowns. Many parents, who, in addition to working in home office, also had to take over the teaching duties at home, would again be faced with a double burden. And teachers, for whom daily contact with children is important in assessing their development, lose important information modalities through digital formats. It is not easy for many children to arrange themselves with the new forms of learning. Experts warn in particular that children who do not find optimal learning conditions at home or are affected by diseases such as AD(H)D may lose connection in a digital setting. 

AD(H)D refers to a disease mainly occurring in childhood with symptoms of inattention, impulsivity and possibly hyperactivity, which manifest across situations and cause suffering and emotional stress. AD(H)D is also associated with functional impairments, especially in school and education. International surveys estimate that about 5.3 % of children are affected by AD(H)D. Thus AD(H)D is one of the most common diseases in childhood and adolescence.

We talked to Stephan Kolbe, graduate psychologist and expert for AD(H)D about the risks and opportunities digital teaching and learning formats may offer for children with AD(H)D.

How do you rate digital learning formats specifically in relation to children with AD(H)D? 

This is not easy to say at all and extremely depends on the severity of the symptoms in the individual. For children with a mild form of AD(H)D, a digital learning format is quite possible and can be meaningful and positive– under the conditions that applies to all children, namely that they are accompanied and supported at home. In this way, learning can also take place in a digital environment. Due to the lack of distraction in the classroom and the perception of one-to-one teaching situations, learning can even develop positively in this group. 

However, if the AD(H)D is severe and possibly also a parent is affected by the disease – which is not uncommon as AD(H)D is known to have a high genetic prevalence (editor’s note) – then learning improvement will not be possible. This is often not because of learning itself, but in the organisation of the learning environment and in things such as punctuality in chats, organizing necessary materials, structuring the situation et cetera. This group is severely disadvantaged by the learning environment, which could be shaped differently in classroom teaching by pedagogical specialists. Here, stagnation or even a step backwards can be expected, as the fixed setting, the same sequence and necessary (learning) rituals cannot be maintained. 

What is particularly challenging for children with AD(H)D at home schooling? 

Children with AD(H)D lack support in homeschooling. They are confronted with a highly complex situation, which they often have to handle with little or even without help. Setting up the digital learning environment with the necessary materials already is a challenge for children with AD(H)D. On the one hand, many parents themselves are affected by AD(H)D or subclinical symptoms. I observe this in about 40-50% of the families I work with. In those, the necessary assistance in homeschooling cannot be provided. 

What can parents do to support children with AD(H)D in homeschooling? 

First of all the same steps are recommended as with healthy children.. Keep the daily structure and stay to a time schedule. Adopt and maintain rituals and processes. Encourage and support the child again and again. Accompany the child’s work and pay attention to regular breaks – especially for children with AD(H)D it is recommended from my experience to take 5 minute off every 20-35 minutes. If one as a parent is affected by AD(H)D, then one could possibly pass on this task to someone else within the family. I also recommend parents to talk to other families who also have children with AD(H)D: It is not only learning, which must be encouraged through family members in lockdown times, but also social development, playing and leisure activities must be organised within the home context.

Which other therapeutic options are recommended with AD(H)D from your experience and can also be implemented in times of pandemic? 

From my experience parental training - a structured psycho-educative training - is the strongest and most sustainable element in therapy, precisely because AD(H)D is often inherited and therefore many parents – also unknowingly - have problems with lack of structuring, inattention or impulsive behavior, even if it is expressed differently than in the child’s behavior. Here self-knowledge is an important step in the therapy of the family and often very effective for the affected child. 

In addition, neurofeedback is a highly recommended method. I and many colleagues were able to continue neurofeedback therapie even in times of pandemic, as necessary distances and hygiene can be well adhered to. With neurofeedback, children learn to better control and regulate their attention, concentration and impulsivity. Self-control can be increased and  hyperactivity can significantly be reduced through this method. Because neurofeedback uses computer games as feedback, it is also fun and entertaining for children – when learning and therapy take place digitally, it is an advantage if they differ at least in their design. Neurofeedback is also a useful method for affected parents to gain better control of their own regulation and to provide the child with more structure.

Also, if possible for the child and in the situation, I can recommend structured concentration training and exercises to strengthen body feeling and perception. For optimal holistic therapeutic options, an extensive allergy test – as 50% of children with AD(H)D have strong allergies – can also be useful, accompanied by review of media use and nutrition. 

 

Stephan Kolbe is a graduate psychologist and offers diagnostics and therapy in his “fit4school” practices in children with AD(H)S, LRS, high talent and dyscalculia and has been working with neurofeedback for many years. More about Stephan Kolbe can be found on his lecturer profile. 

The interview was conducted by Jennifer Riederle, psychologist at BEE Medic.

In a growing number of occupational therapy practices, Neurofeedback is already established as a solid treatment method. However, many occupational therapists also doubt whether the “technical” neurofeedback fits into their everyday work. Being said, occupational therapists can even get some reimbursement from the health insurance and healthcare system for neurofeedback therapy in countries like Germany. In an interview, lecturer Thomas Theis reports what inspires him about neurofeedback, how neurofeedback can be integrated into occupational therapy and why occupational therapists in particular bring the perfect conditions for neurofeedback.

Thomas, why did you become an occupational therapist? 

I have come through personal experiences for occupational therapy. Being younger, I suffered a complex injury to my arm – a disaster for me as a musician. I've been in treatment for a long time and have tried many therapies and found that occupational therapy really helped me. In occupational therapy, I was forced to use my arm again – not like in physiotherapy for stretching or exercises – but for real things - like darts, weaving or shuffle cards, that I enjoyed as a young person. I  experienced a mind-changing moment: I realised that my condition will not improve if I do not use my hand and this knowledge has awakened my passion for occupational therapy. 

What do you love about your profession? 

There’s this saying, you also often find on coffee mugs “I‘ve become an occupational therapist because being a superhero isn’t a real job.” 

For me, there is nothing missing in this profession. Occupational therapy is characterised by versatility, complexity and individuality. As an occupational therapist, I have to look at my patients with a mindful eye, I need to find out where problems exist and work together with them towards a solution or compensation of their problems. Not only are the patients making progress, but also one as an occupational therapist grows and develops at all levels. Occupational therapist is a meaningful and helpful profession that is incredibly fun. In addition, entrepreneurial independence has always been my big goal – managing my two practices to me is the  fulfilment of this goal.

What are your biggest challenges at work? 

At the moment, the relocation of my practices is the biggest logistical challenge, and the pandemic has, of course, also confronted us with problems, which we are managing through together. With a large team in practice, it never gets boring, we also have a long patient’s waiting list. Therapy continues and patients must be given full attention. The treatment of individual patients can also be challenging as for example I am currently combining neurofeedback and solution-oriented conversations in the treatment of a severely traumatised patient. 

How can neurofeedback be integrated into occupational therapy? 

Neurofeedback can be used in occupational therapy as a method of choice to achieve the medically prescribed therapeutic goal. A combination of neurofeedback with other therapeutic methods is also possible in order to help patients to sustainably improve their everyday competence. One has to remember, of course, that the individual neurofeedback procedures differ from each other. In my view, methods such as Infra Low Frequency (ILF) neurofeedback, which help to improve self-regulation, are particularly well suited. And I say this, knowing them very well. They help to sustainably improve everyday behavior and competences and, as a resource-related approach, are particularly suitable for occupational therapy. I now use neurofeedback for many indications. Also patients are very interested in the method. 

Do occupational therapists bring the right conditions for neurofeedback training? 

Thomas: From my point of view, occupational therapists bring the perfect conditions for neurofeedback. Especially in symptom-based ILF neurofeedback, clinical observation of the patient’s state and behavior is very important. You have to pay particular attention to body physiology, breathing and mimic in order to detect signs of for example tension and relaxation,to adapt the treatment protocol accordingly. Occupational therapists are usually very trained in clinical observation and therefore a very important professional group in neurofeedback. 

What would you advise occupational therapists that consider working with neurofeedback? 

My advice for occupational therapists who want to offer neurofeedback is: Pay attention to a good and well-founded training, start slowly and try it out before you start treating complex cases . Take advantage of further education and training like advanced courses - as well as supervision with experienced colleagues. 

Neurofeedback is an instrument that can make your everyday work in practice even more exciting. Colleagues, who have been initially concerned about technical devices in therapy, also like to work with neurofeedback now. It also keeps the therapist mentally fit and awake because you constantly keep an analytical view of the patient and have to register small physiological changes quickly. Working with neurofeedback is a lot of fun for me and I also know many colleagues who are excited by neurofeedback and offer it as a solid treatment along the other existing therapy methods in occupational therapy.

Learn more about Thomas Theis from his lecturer profile on EEGInfo

The interviewer was Jennifer Riederle, Psychologist at BEE Medic