| Abstract | Neurofeedback (NFB) je sve češće korištena metoda fokusirana na kontrolu i mijenjanje moždanih valova na ciljani način. Mogućnost primjene neurofeedback treninga uočena je i kod djece s teškoćama u razvoju. Naime, kod djece s teškoćama u razvoju mogu biti prisutna različita odstupanja u motoričkom, emocionalnom, kognitivnom i socijalnom razvoju te je u okviru edukacije i rehabilitacije ove populacije djece potrebno provoditi različite interdisciplinarne i holističke terapijske programe. U tom se smislu u posljednje vrijeme, kao komplementarni pristup, primjenjuje neurofeedback kao metoda u istraživanju.
Na temelju navedenog, definiran je cilj ovog rada usmjeren na ispitivanje učinkovitosti neurofeedbacka u području osjetilnog, motoričkog, kognitivnog, bihevioralnog i psihoemocionalnog statusa kod djece s poremećajem iz spektra autizma (PSA), poremećajem pažnje s hiperaktivnošću (ADHD) te sindromom Down koja su završila neurofeedback trening u trajanju od minimalno 20 seansi, iz perspektive roditelja. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo ukupno 33 roditelja od čega 16 roditelja djece s PSA, 10 roditelja djece s ADHD-om i 7 roditelja djece sa sindromom Down.
Za potrebe ovog istraživanja konstruiran je anketni online upitnik koji se sastojao od ukupno 71 pitanja koja su bila raspoređena unutar 8 kategorija: Opći podaci, Spavanje, Hranjenje, Fizički status, Pažnja/učenje, Osjetilnost, Ponašanje i Emocije. Navedene varijable procjenjivane su u dvije točke procjene na način da su roditelji procjenjivali pojavnost ili intenzitet svake subvarijable u odnosu na prije ili poslije provedenog neurofeedback treninga
kako bi se usporedile eventualne razlike između 1. i 2. točke procjene unutar i između tri grupe ispitanika. Podaci prikupljeni online anketnim upitnikom prikazani su u obliku grafičkih prikaza te su obrađeni deskriptivnom analizom. Rezultati su pokazali kako je primjena neurofeedback treninga dovela do pozitivnih promjena u svim kategorijama kod djece s PSA i ADHD-om, dok je kod djece sa sindromom Down također uočeno poboljšanje u svim kategorijama osim pogoršanja u kategoriji Spavanje. Pozitivne tendencije promjena u kategorijama procjene koje su obuhvaćene ovim istraživanjem, iako dobivene na malom uzorku ispitanika, upućuju na potrebu daljnjih istraživanja o primjeni neurofeedback metode u djece s različitim vrstama teškoća u razvoju. |
| Abstract (english) | Neurofeedback (NFB) is an increasingly used method focused on controlling and modifying brain waves in a targeted way. The possibility of applying neurofeedback training has also been observed in children with developmental disabilities. Namely, children with disabilities may have various deviations in motor, emotional, cognitive, and social development, and within the education and rehabilitation of this population of children, it is necessary to implement various interdisciplinary and holistic therapeutic programs. In this sense, neurofeedback has recently been used as a complementary approach to a research method.
Based on the above, the defined goal of this paper was aimed to examine the effectiveness of neurofeedback in the field of sensory, motor, cognitive, behavioral, and psycho-emotional status in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Down syndrome, who completed neurofeedback training lasting a minimum of 20 sessions, from a parent's perspective. A total of 33 parents participated in the study, which included 16 parents of children with ASD, 10 parents of children with ADHD, and 7 parents of children with Down syndrome.
For the purposes of this research, an online questionnaire was constructed consisting of a total of 71 questions that were distributed within 8 categories: General Data, Sleep, Nutrition, Physical Status, Attention / Learning, Sensitivity, Behavior, and Emotions. These variables were assessed at two assessment points by parents. Each parent assessed the incidence or intensity of each sub-variable relative to pre- or post-neurofeedback training, and then
compared the possible differences between those two assessment points within and between the three groups of subjects. Data collected by the online survey questionnaire are presented in the form of graphical representations and processed by descriptive analysis. The results showed that the application of neurofeedback training led to positive changes in all categories in children with ASD and ADHD, while in children with Down syndrome there was also an improvement in all categories except an improvement in sleep. The positive trends in the categories of assessment covered by this study, although obtained from a small sample of respondents, indicate the need for further research on the application of the neurofeedback method in children with different types of developmental disabilities. |
