Effect of Beta Neurofeedback on Executive Functions and Problem-solving Skills of Elementary School Male Children With Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

 Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can impair psychological, emotional, and cognitive processes. The present study aims to investigate the effect of beta neurofeedback on executive functions and problem-solving skills of elementary school male children with ADHD.

This is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test/post-test/two-month follow-up design. The participants were 24 elementary school male children with ADHD referred to psychology and psychiatry clinics in Mashhad, Iran, in 2020. They were selected using a purposive sampling method and randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The children in the intervention group received beta neurofeedback at 30 sessions for 2.5 months. The data collection tools were Brock and Clinton’s ADHD questionnaire, the children’s problem-solving exploratory test of Johnson, and Coolidge et al.’s executive functions questionnaire. The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.

 The results showed that beta neurofeedback had significant effects on executive functions (F=33.42; Eta squared=0.60; P=0.0001) and problem-solving skills (F=29.81; Eta squared=0.57; P=0.0001). It led to significant improvement in the intervention group.

 Beta neurofeedback can improve executive functions and problem-solving skills of children with ADHD through providing biological feedback and increasing awareness of mental and cognitive processes.