Brain training with younger children is different from training adults in many ways. The process is the same—decide what to train and how, then do the training—but the details vary depending upon the age of the child.
Children Sometimes Cannot Tolerate Brain Maps
Most of the time, depending upon one’s philosophy of training, neurofeedback begins with conducting a brain map, called a Trainers’ qEEG. This is a measurement of 20 sites on the scalp that correspond to specific regions of the brain, and the measurement serves as a guide to know where and what to train. It requires either wearing a cap with electrodes in it or having electrodes directly placed on the scalp, then measuring electrical activity while the eyes are closed, the eyes are open, and the eyes are open while doing a small task such as recounting numbers or quietly reading.
Children from about age 10 and up are almost always capable of completing a brain map. Younger children, however, are often too wriggly to sit still long enough for the measurements. This is especially true for the type of children whose parents want them to do brain training.
Being little and wriggly isn’t a deterrent to training, however. It simply means that one must get clues about brain function from watching the neurofeedback software carefully. It also helps to get clear instructions from a parent or caregiver about training goals.
Kids’ Brains are Different
Our brains all have different electrical speeds that we have given names.
Delta refers to very slow frequencies that are associated with sleep and unconsciousness. Theta is a bit faster and is associated with creativity, imagination, day-dreaminess, and sometimes inability to focus. Alpha is a bridge between internal and external awareness, and it serves as a meditative frequency. Beta is the frequency of awareness. It involves everyday focusing up through unhelpful hypervigilance. Gamma is the fastest frequency that neurofeedback measures and trains, and it involves binding learning experiences, as well as spirituality.
The dominant frequency in the brain changes as we age. In babies, that delta frequency of sleep is dominant, which is really no surprise given that babies sleep as much as they do. Up through late elementary school, theta is the dominant frequency. This helps us understand the incredible state of imagination and imaginary play we see in children as they develop. By around age 10 (more or less depending upon the individual child), the alpha frequency—which should peak at approximately 10 Hz—is dominant and remains so until there is aging or cognitive decline in the mix.
What this means is that protocols meant for adults with adult-level electrical frequencies usually are not right or helpful for younger children. It also means that special care is required for tweens and younger teens, whose brains may look either more like adults or more like younger children, depending on their physical development.
If you have tried neurofeedback for yourself, understand that younger children will be training in different ways and with different frequencies than you did. It is still the same software, and it still involves the same principles. Your practitioner simply must detect where the child’s brain is and adjust the software to meet childhood needs.
The philosophy of experienced practitioners is to meet the child where he/she is at electrically, but to train adults where they should ideally be. You as the parent do not need to worry about this but should ensure that your practitioner is skilled enough to know how to adapt to children’s brains.
Client-Led Sessions
Brain training can be tiring work, even though to a person not doing the training it simply looks like someone is sitting quietly with eyes closed, playing a game, or watching visual media with doo-dads attached to their heads. The brain uses more glucose than any other part of the body, and it uses a lot of energy trying to understand and respond to the reward sounds that the neurofeedback software provides the person doing training.
Children in particular can become quite tired, especially when first starting a round of brain training, before the planned number of minutes of training is finished during any given session. Until you get used to it, neurofeedback is hard work for the brain! It’s always important to customize training to the individual, but it’s especially important to observe and respond to kids. Doing neurofeedback is usually fun for them (who doesn’t love getting extra screen time during the school week), but it’s important to stop if they ask to stop. Not only does it prevent over-training, it fosters trust in the child that they have some agency in what is happening.
Feedback/Tracking Changes is Different
One can simply ask an adult how they are doing and what they are experiencing with respect to training. Children often do not have the self-awareness to provide this information. Therefore, it is important if you are the adult bringing the child to provide feedback to the practitioner. Teachers are often the first to notice changes, so if a teacher says something, that is important information to bring to sessions. Parents will quite quickly notice things like improved sleep and awakening more refreshed in the morning, and this is also good to know.
For you as the parent or caregiver of a young person getting ready to do neurofeedback, these differences should not be a source of worry beyond ensuring that your practitioner knows how to adapt their work to their youngest clients through the mid-teen years.
I work with children beginning around age eight (I will consider younger clients on a case-by-case basis). If you are interested in learning more, give me a call or schedule a consultation.