My son was diagnosed with ADHD in June 2015. He was 9 at the time. Basically I had a path worn down to the school. Teachers said throughout the years that he was constantly fidgety, getting up out of his place, impulsive to do silly things, chatty and never sits down on his seat, he kneels on his chair all day. At home he was also very impulsive but also a typical boy. Going to the cinema he could not sit on a seat or stay sitting long enough while talking constantly throughout. I didn’t want Tony to change how he was at home except for the impulsivity side of things.

My mother was watching Ireland AM and took the information down. I had to take Tony to be assessed privately as the school principal rang me as the CAHMS waiting list was too long and he needed to be assessed as soon as possible. After his 20 minute assessment he was given a prescription and the psychiatrist will not see him again unless he’s given the prescription. I was not happy with this so we rang Actualise, arranged an appointment and were very happy after 1st consultation.

First I’d like to say that all the staff are absolutely amazing in the clinic. Everyone knew Tony’s name and would love to chat to him and us. Tony loved going up there once a week and would look forward to his session. They made it as comfortable as possible for him and fun with his sticker charts. He was very proud of them. We travelled from limerick every week. Michael and his team are amazing.

School is a massive difference now. After 15 weeks of training, I am barely called to the school anymore. No notes in his journal. His soccer has come on leaps and bounds. Homework is a breeze also. Don’t get me wrong he still has moments but dealing with it by talking to him and upping his confidence. His tantrums have practically disappeared. All his end of year reports, he was before hitting average and his Christmas report he was above average for his age on everything. We are delighted with his results from the brain training.

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Before Neurofeedback, Louis was agitated by many things in school and at home. He was disorganized with his books and in general. Fidgeting in his seat in class and at home. After hearing Michael on the radio, I felt it was a good choice for Jacob, then after hearing Michael speak about it at one of his lectures, I decided to do it.

The experience was very good, I was explained what was going on with Jacob and how Neurofeedback could help him with his disorganisation. I was well informed of what was going on each week. Jacob enjoyed coming back each week and watching movies and games with the team, who were fantastic with him. It has made me realise that Jacob has the skills to be more organised and become more aware of his surroundings. His fidgeting has practically disappeared. Overall it has been a great help and we’re very glad we chose to do it.

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Martin’s life has been transformed by neurofeedback. He has changed from a very negative, almost depressed child, something that as parent is very painful and difficult to observe and manage, into a happy, positive and resilient child. In his school work and sport he can follow instructions no problem and is much more focused, to the point that he can do his homework with three children playing around him! His rugby coach actually remarked how easy he now is to train in comparison to the beginning of the season and that is without him knowing that Martin did neurofeedback.

His relationship with his brothers is also much improved. He used to annoy them no end but now he doesn’t need to vent his frustrations on them any more as he is under much less stress nor does he use them as a means to stimulate himself by pushing them until they snap and then getting the big reaction he almost seemed to crave. As a result of this the atmosphere in the family has totally calmed down and we now go about our lives without waiting for the agro to start. It’s not that he has turned into this model child, there are still moments where he pushes the boundaries or niggles his brothers but no more so than them. It is like the brakes have been put back on in the sense that he can reign himself back in rather than over step the boundaries by a mile. In some ways he is actually easier to parent now than his younger brothers because since neurofeedback he has almost turned into this mini-adult communication and reasoning wise. He is also much more empathetic, before it was like he was stuck within himself and couldn’t control or see how his behaviour was impacting on others but now he gets it. Not necessarily all the time because he is a child but pre-neurofeedback he was just going round and round on his own negative merry-go-round.

What is really great is that his personality is still the same, he doesn’t need to take daily medication with any number of side effects such as personality changes, sleep disturbance etc and he can now go on with his life medication free without all the added potential pitfalls that ADHD brings with it. Neurofeedback is and will be one of the best things we invested in for Martin and the family in general.

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We had a lot of arguments with Damian around getting him to do some jobs, for example getting him to make a sandwich for his lunch (he would have a tantrum). Now if he is asked to do a job, he may give out a little but he will do it, 6 out of 10 times without any problem at all. He was very fidgety and moved around a lot. Very self-centred and very anxious about being in lifts and being left for a while.

I heard of the treatment on the radio and then did a little research myself into it. After Damian was diagnosed with ADHD, I was determined not to use medication and Neurofeedback was a method that didn’t use medication.

It was a very positive experience with very nice staff. Damian didn’t want to come a few times but when he was at sessions besides maybe talking too much he got on quite well.

Damian is a lot more mature. Sometimes he may say things he shouldn’t out of turn but is a lot more conscious and how it will affect others and will apologise later if there is a problem. He has a lot more empathy towards others (ie. Putting others needs before his own). According to his teacher she doesn’t see any problems with concentration and says that he can sit through an hour long test without any problems. His maths test scores have gone up considerably.

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In his own words:

Life before Neurofeedback Training was very difficult. Getting into trouble at school, finding it hard to concentrate, lots of fights and arguments with family and friends (children in school) was very much my life before the training began. I had little confidence, I felt depressed and sad a lot of the time.

We have had a very positive experience. Michael and the team were very informative and explained in detail how Neurofeedback Training works.

Neurofeedback has had a huge impact in a positive way on my life. I feel happy in myself and confident, improved my concentration (my grades are better). I am getting on better with my sister and school friends, not getting into trouble in school anymore. My relationship with my father has improved. I can concentrate better when I am playing Hockey. I got Man of the Match in my last game.

Tim’s Mum:

A family member heard an interview on the radio. The child on the show seemed to have the same difficulties as my son. That child had great results from the treatment, so I decided to get more information and I was willing to try anything at that stage to improve my child’s life.

Teachers have told me that they could see a “massive improvement” in behaviour and his ability to concentrate in class. I would definitely say that Neurofeedback has been a life changing experience for my child. It has given my child more confidence, happiness and most of all a beautiful smile on his face. I would like to thank Dr Michael Keane for being so kind and helpful to us.

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Before Neurofeedback life was very difficult for Peter because he found it hard to concentrate on any task he would be given no matter how small. If he was asked to fetch something in his bedroom, by the time he would have got to his bedroom he would have forgotten what he had been asked to fetch.

Homework was very difficult for Peter resulting in us getting a teacher in after school to assist him. He was taking Concerta XL/8mg on a daily basis for almost three years which did help but if he missed his prescription even one day we would notice a difference in his behavior not being focused.

I had read an article in The Sunday Times dated 13th October 2013, which caught my interest. I wrote to the Healthy Living Centre to arrange an appointment. I few weeks later I heard Neurofeedback being discussed on RTE Radio/”Mooney goes Wild”. Having read the article I felt that this treatment could be of great benefit to P. Also we were not very comfortable giving Peter Concerta XL on a long term basis, but up to this point we had no alternative and Peter needed something to try and keep him focused and a task. When your child is on medication like Concerta XL you will try any alternative solution to get them off this medication.

Peter was very acceptable to go to Actualise to have a look at Neurofeedback. Telling him that he could look at a movie of his choice was a great selling point. The Centre when you arrived gave us a feel of calm and the staff at the reception were very pleasant and friendly. The Centre did not give us a feel of a clinic like other places we have been. The sessions were always on time and the room where they were was pleasant to be in. Peter looked forward to going to the sessions and would be keen to beat his previous weeks score.

Peter’s life changed quite quickly after starting Neurofeedback, he was only into three weeks of treatment when I took him off his medication. I could see the impact this treatment was having on him at a very early stage. He continued his treatment and completed the course. His teacher in Peter’s school saw a huge improvement in his ability to focus and pay attention in class. Peter’s maths has improved greatly and is more self-assured in himself and his confidence has grown also.

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Cian was diagnosed with ADHD five years ago and although he is bright he found concentrating in school difficult and listening in group activities such as football almost impossible. He also has a really short fuse and tended to lose his temper quickly and then regret it. Not been able to manage his temper was really upsetting him. The Psychiatrist in CAMHS had suggested Neurofeedback and CAMHS had assessed him for Neurofeedback and felt it would be beneficial.

The experience has been very positive, the staff are friendly and very good with children. The change has been very significant. I had not told his school he was doing the treatment and the class teacher had noted a huge improvement in self –regulation and some improvement in his concentration. Cian has joined the local football team which would have been impossible before Neurofeedback.

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Abbie was very impulsive, was getting into trouble in school, at home, was very unhappy in herself. She didn’t understand the word no and everyday was a constant battle to get her to follow through with general things like homework. No concentration in school. She would easily lose concentration, yet her mind would be constantly overactive, etc. Struggled to settle at bedtime to go asleep. Found it hard to make friends. [We decided to give NFT a try] from hearing about other children that had similar symptoms to Abbie and was very successful. 

I cannot be more happy with everyone at Actualise. From our first consultation to twice a week Abbie loved and enjoyed every minute of it. All the staff are so dedicated to what amazing work they do, have an understanding of children like Abbie and make everyone feel so welcome and at ease. It becomes an enjoyment for the children and makes them work hard to get the “reward”.

Our family life has gone from constant arguing with Abbie to really getting to know our child again. We can concentrate on enjoying our time together instead of constant arguing and Abbie’s school life has been an amazing transformation. She loves going to school now, has new friends and most of all from speaking to her teacher, her work, behaviour have improved 1000%. She is no longer getting into trouble and homework is no longer a battle.

She understands now that she has a choice and for us the transformation from all her hard work at Actualise has been unbelievable. Abbie is now happy. She feels more in control of her mind and as she says feels “awesome”.

I cannot thank you all enough, having a smiley girl back, it truly was life-changing.

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Life with Sam was hectic, a bit like a rollercoaster. He had good days and bad days. He had regular meltdowns, disruptive in class, no friends, low moods and bad attention span. Homework time took 2 hours and resulted in lots of tears, kicking and screaming. At home he was very hyper and disruptive, constantly kicking walls, banging his head with his fists or off walls.

A friend of mine recommended the training and thought that Sam would benefit from it. I found the staff so friendly and welcoming. Sam really enjoyed going to see Aine every week and I loved having my weekly chats with Anne. After a few weeks I began to notice a difference in Sam. His behaviour improved immensely. His teacher said that he was able to sit and do his classwork and no longer needs regular breaks during class. His meltdowns have completely stopped, no anger issues and his homework no takes 20 minutes compared to 2 hours. Sam now has friends and is able to play nicely.

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