An Effective Neurofeedback Intervention to Improve Social Interactions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Elisabeth Friedrich, Aparajithan Sivanathan, Theodore Lim, Neil Suttie, Sandy Louchart, Steven Pillen, Jamie Pineda

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

76 Citations (Scopus)
475 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Neurofeedback training (NFT) approaches were investigated to improve behavior, cognition and emotion regulation in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirteen children with ASD completed pre-/post-assessments and 16 NFT-sessions. The NFT was based on a game that encouraged social interactions and provided feedback based on imitation and emotional responsiveness. Bidirectional training of EEG mu suppression and enhancement (8-12 Hz over somatosensory cortex) was compared to the standard method of enhancing mu. Children learned to control mu rhythm with both methods and showed improvements in (1) electrophysiology: increased mu suppression, (2) emotional responsiveness: improved emotion recognition and spontaneous imitation, and (3) behavior: significantly better behavior in every-day life. Thus, these NFT paradigms improve aspects of behavior necessary for successful social interactions.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4084-4100
Number of pages17
JournalJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
Volume45
Issue number12
Early online date26 Jul 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2015

Keywords

  • ASD
  • Neurofeedback training
  • Game training
  • Data synchronisation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
  • Medical Laboratory Technology

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