| In order for you to understand the bigger picture of | | | | thinking with our eyes closed, alpha waves disappear |
| your child's condition, he or she will have to undergo a | | | | and are replaced by faster, smaller beta waves. If the |
| series of behavioral and neurological tests. The | | | | QEEG test detects high alpha waves when the child is |
| neurological tests are particularly important because | | | | awake, he or she is daydreaming and may have |
| they indicate the areas of the brain that may not be | | | | ADHD inattentive type. |
| working up to par, thus causing your child's chronic | | | | Delta and theta waves occur at much lower |
| hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. Over the last | | | | frequencies than alpha and beta waves. Theta waves |
| decade, ADHD experts have developed new | | | | appear when a child's mind moves from a resting |
| technologies that can measure brain electrical impulses, | | | | state to drowsiness. As the brain moves to sleep, the |
| which are critical in detecting ADHD. One of these | | | | frequencies of theta waves increase, and they |
| tests is called Quantitative Electroencephalography, or | | | | eventually get taken over by delta waves. It's normal |
| QEEG. | | | | for a waking, open-eyed child to have a few delta and |
| QEEG is a non-invasive test designed to identify the | | | | theta waves in low frequencies. However, if the |
| subtle neurological differences found in ADHD brains. | | | | QEEG detects high amplitude delta and theta waves, |
| This breakthrough technology is known to have a 96% | | | | this could indicate a neurological disorder like ADHD or |
| success rate in detecting ADHD and other neurological | | | | epilepsy. Clinicians observed that 80% of children |
| conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder. Unlike | | | | diagnosed with ADHD have high delta and theta wave |
| traditional brain imaging methods like MRIs and CT | | | | patterns. If your child's QEEG results indicate excess |
| scans, QEEG tests detect more than just | | | | theta activity and low beta activity, it may suggest |
| abnormalities in brain structure; they also identify how | | | | ADHD, though other neurological disorders often have |
| well certain areas of the brain function, and locate | | | | the same pattern. |
| minor head trauma, which traditional brain imaging | | | | Limitations of QEEG testing |
| methods sometimes fail to detect. | | | | Useful as QEEG testing can be, its main drawback is |
| How QEEG detects ADHD | | | | inaccessibility. Unlike CT scans and MRIs, QEEG tests |
| QEEG can do all this simply by tracking and recording | | | | are not administered by conventional hospitals and |
| electrical brain activity. Electroencephalography tests | | | | doctors. Instead, you'll have to find a clinician or |
| are designed to pick up the four brain waves - alpha, | | | | alternate health care practitioner to administer the |
| beta, theta, and delta. Alpha waves are the dominant | | | | exam. The inaccessibility of QEEG also means that it's |
| wave pattern in the brain when we are in a resting | | | | expensive. Because of these drawbacks, QEEG |
| state, either with our eyes closed or with our eyes | | | | testing should only be considered if your child fails to |
| open. In other words, alpha waves occur when our | | | | respond to treatment or if other tests fail to produce |
| minds are at rest. When our eyes open and we | | | | useful results. |
| become mentally busy, or when we start doing intense | | | | |