Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) - The Reynolds Clinic LLC

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

boy with autism spectrum disorder

This family of disorders includes Non-Verbal Disabilities, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Asperger Syndrome and Autism. From our perspective, an important common trait that appears to connect all these conditions is a deficit in social awareness and the degree to which this deficit impacts their social functioning is the pivotal clinical issue.

Unlike children with ADHD or ODD, Children with ASD often have limited awareness of their condition and the negative impact it is having on their lives. Social skills are usually regulated by areas of the brain quite different from those areas involved in regulating attention. Generally speaking, but not always with children who have ASD, their brain maps (qEEG) reveal areas of cortical dysregulation occurring on the right hemisphere. This is because certain areas of the right hemisphere mediate our sense of our selves, our place in the world and our understanding of social cues and interactions.

Children with ASD can improve their social competence through EEG Neurofeedback training (Click on Neurofeedback). However, it is imperative that the training be preceded by a brain map (Click on qEEG) in order to determine exactly where on the cortex the training should be done. In addition, it is not uncommon for children with ASD to have other cognitive challenges that should be identified (Click on Evaluation) since such coexisting conditions can potentially complicate the clinical picture and may require treatment as well.