Is ADHD or ADD Interfering with Your Teen or Young Adult's Ability to Succeed?
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Does your teen or young adult start a task or project only to move onto another before completing the first one?
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Does your teen or young adult often forget to turn in their homework to their teacher or professor?
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Do they struggle with time management, lost track of time, and not complete important tasks?
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Does your teen or young adult struggle with depression or anxiety as a result of or in combination with ADHD or ADD?
For parents of a teenager or young adult who struggles with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), it can be frustrating. Simple things that are second nature to us seem to be challenges for them, like:
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Time management,
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Starting and completing a task,
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Following through with instructions,
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Turning in work that has already been completed, and
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The ability to simply sit still during class, among other things all seem to be incredibly difficult for your teen or young adult.
It seems that no matter how many conversations or how many different strategies put in place they still struggle with these seemingly simple things.
There are reasons why these seemingly simple things to us are incredibly difficult for them. And it all stems from how their brain is wired compared to our neurotypical, non-ADHD/ADD brain.
Teenagers and young adults want to do well. Neurofeedback for ADHD and neurofeedback for ADD can help train the brain to perform without ADHD or ADD.
This then allows your teenager and young adult to implement the knowledge, understanding, and skills to do well in school, in relationships, and in life. And all without the use of medication!
How Do I Know if My Teen or Young Adult Has ADHD or ADD?
Signs of ADHD and ADD can range from being very subtle and difficult to spot to very clear to see. No two teens or young adults experience ADHD or ADD the same. While there are similarities in the signs, each teen or young adult may struggle differently.
Some of the signs that your teen or young adult may have ADHD or ADD are listed below.
Inattention in ADHD & ADD for Teens & Young Adults
These signs are present in both teenagers with ADHD and teenagers with ADD. However, in ADD, the hyperactive part is not present simply the inattention.
For a teen or young adult to have ADHD or ADD, typically, 6 or more of the signs below for teenagers up to age 16. For teens and young adult 17 or older, at least five or more signs. And these signs should be present for at least the last 6 month:
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Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, at work, or with other activities,
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Often has trouble holding attention on tasks or play activities,
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Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly,
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Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace (e.g., loses focus, side-tracked),
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Often has trouble organizing tasks and activities,
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Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to do tasks that require mental effort over a long period of time (such as schoolwork or homework),
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Often loses things necessary for tasks and activities (e.g., school materials, pencils, books, tools, wallets, keys, paperwork, eyeglasses, mobile telephones),
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Is often easily distracted, and
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Is often forgetful in daily activities.
Hyperactivity & Impulsivity in ADHD for Teenagers & Young Adults
For teenagers and up to 16 years of age, at least 6 or more of these signs should be present. For teens or young adults 17 years old or older, at least 5 of these signs present. And these signs should be present for the past 6 months.
The signs below apply more towards ADHD as they include the hyperactivity element. However, some teens and young adult with ADD may also display some of these signs.
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Often fidgets with or taps hands or feet, or squirms in seat,
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Often leaves seat in situations when remaining seated is expected,
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Often runs about or climbs in situations where it is not appropriate (adolescents or adults may be limited to feeling restless),
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Often unable to play or take part in leisure activities quietly,
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Is often “on the go” acting as if “driven by a motor”,
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Often talks excessively,
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Often blurts out an answer before a question has been completed,
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Often has trouble waiting their turn, and
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Often interrupts or intrudes on others (e.g., butts into conversations or games)
Three Types of ADHD Based on the Signs Present
When taking the various signs into consideration, depending on what those signs are there can be 3 types of ADHD or ADD:
Combined Type
This is where there are enough signs of both categories above - the inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity signs - and these have been present for the past 6 months.
Predominantly inattentive Type (ADD)
This is where enough signs of inattention, but not hyperactivity-impulsivity, were present for the past six months. This would be classical Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) as your teen or young adult does not have the hyperactive-impulsive sign of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Predominantly Hyperactive-Impulsive Type
This is where enough symptoms of hyperactivity-impulsivity, but not inattention, were present for the past six months.
An Overview of Neurofeedback for Young Adults & Teenagers
Neurofeedback for teenagers and young adults is not only comfortable, safe, and non-invasive, it is our most successful therapeutic approach in treating a variety of emotional, behavioral, and some physical challenges.
Neurofeedback addresses the problem right at the source -- the brain. Neurofeedback uses sensors that are placed on the teen or young adults head and records the electrical activity of the brain.
This electrical activity is how the brain communicates and performs. To type on a keyboard, the brain sends electrical signals to the region of the brain that is responsible for memory, hand-eye coordination, movement, etc.
Emotional and behavioral challenges are similar. When the brain is communicating, or performing optimally through these electrical signals, our mood, emotions, and behavior are manageable and do not interfere with our daily life.
Yet when our brain is either underperforming or overperforming, this can create challenges like depression, social anxiety, anxiety, panic attacks, ADHD, ADD, and other challenges.
Your neurofeedback therapist uses sophisticated software to create a fun and enjoyable training protocol that can help the brain learn to perform optimally. Once the brain learns to perform optimally, signs of the emotional or behavioral challenge that your teen or young adult used to struggle with reduce greatly or go away altogether.
For a deeper dive into neurofeedback, please see click on this link that will take you to our neurofeedback pate. Here we go into detail describing and explaining what neurofeedback for teens and neurofeedback for young adults is, how it works, and how long the results last.
ADHD, ADD, & the Brain: Structural, Functional, & Developmental Differences
In teenagers or young adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), their brains are considered neuroatypical in comparison to neurotypical brains. The main difference between a brain with ADHD or ADD and a brain without include differences in:
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Brain structure,
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Brain function, and
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Brain development.
Teenagers and young adults with ADHD or ADD are not being lazy, defiant, or oppositional, their brains simply have developed differently which affects the structure of the brain and as a result, their brains functions differently.
Neurofeedback addresses the challenges that the teen or young adult are having with ADHD or ADD right at the source -- the brain. Your neurofeedback therapist will identify the regions of the brain that are associated with ADHD or ADD.
The neurofeedback therapist will then identify what regions of the brain are over or under performing which cause the signs of ADHD or ADD. Once this is identified, a training protocol is developed to help the brain learn to function at optimal levels significantly reducing the symptoms of ADHD or ADD.
Regions of the brain that are often involved with creating the signs of ADHD or ADD and that neurofeedback helps to train can include the:
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Frontal Cortex,
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Prefrontal Cortex,
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Sensorimotor Cortex,
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Association Cortex,
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Basan Ganglia,
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Reticular Activating System,
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Amygdala,
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Nucleus Accumbens,
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Hippocampus, and
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Other regions.
Stimulant medication is often used to help treat ADHD or ADD. While it can be wildly effective, it also comes with some unpleasant side effects at times. There is also concern by some parents on their child become dependent on the stimulant medication that can closely resemble methamphetamine.
There are times where stimulant medication is necessary. This is a discussion best had with a child and adolescent psychiatry for teenagers and an adult psychiatrist for young adults.
If you are looking for an effective approach in resolving challenges related to ADHD or ADD and do not want to use medication, neurofeedback may be the right approach for you.
Neurofeedback Can Help with ADHD, ADD, & Other Challenges in Teens & Young Adults
While neurofeedback has been shown to be effective in ADHD for teens and ADHD for young adults, neurofeedback can also be effective in treating a variety of other emotional, behavioral, or physical challenges. Some of these include:
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Trauma,
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PTSD,
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Autism spectrum, and
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More
Our emotional, behavioral, and physical challenges all stem from one place -- the brain. Neurofeedback identifies with precision the regions of the brain responsible and begins from day one to train those regions.
Neurofeedback therapy helps bring the brain back to balance and optimal performance helping to reduce or eliminate the challenges.
Want a Deeper Dive Into Neurofeedback?
Here we explore ADHD in teens and ADHD in young adults. We have also touched on how neurofeedback for ADHD can be helpful for your teen or young adult. And for a deeper dive into what neurofeedback is and how it works, you can click on this link.
If you have questions and would like to talk with our neurofeedback therapist, please contact us to schedule a neurofeedback consultation.
Neurofeedback for ADHD & ADD at Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling:
Sugar Land, TX
ADHD and ADD for teenagers and young adults can be such a limiting struggle. We know that there is talent, brilliance, and amazing potential in the teens we work with who struggle with ADHD or ADD. And it is great to see neurofeedback for ADHD help them overcome the challenges and tap into their natural talents, brilliance, and potential!
At Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling located in Sugar Land, TX, neurofeedback therapy for ADHD and ADD can help. Our office is conveniently located off of US 90 and Dairy Ashford Road.
We also have our office in Katy. Katy Teen & Family Counseling in located in Katy, TX, where we also specialize in teen, young adult, couples, and family counseling. We are conveniently located off ofI-10 and the 99-feeder road in Katy, TX.
If you are ready to begin neurofeedback for ADHD or ADD, all you need to do is follow these 3 simple steps:
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Contact Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling.
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Speak with our neurofeedback therapist.
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Start neurofeedback to move forward without depression!
Other Services Offered at Sugar Land Teen & Family Counseling Sugar Land, TX
Neurofeedback For:
Neurofeedback for Social Anxiety
Peak performance (optimal academic brain performance)
Peak performance (optimal athletic brain performance)
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)
Trauma Therapy
Depression Counseling
Therapy for Anxiety
Therapy for Social Anxiety
Therapy for Panic Attacks
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR therapy) For:
Teen trauma treatment
Counseling for teen anxiety
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) For: