Neurofeedback

I know little about Neurofeedback for kids, but my son sees a great pediatrician/acupuncturist (she is certified in both) at UCSF in Oakland that incorporates Chinese Medicine with Western medicine for things like ADHD. Not sure if it would be helpful for your son, but it might be helpful to chat with her about this hybrid approach. You can learn more about her here: https://www.ucsfbenioffchildrens.org/providers/dr-jenifer-matthews

There are also some great meditation books for kids that can help them manage anxiety, including Puppy Mind by Andrew Nance (https://amzn.to/3986CXd). 

I know that sometimes the natural options are not enough, but I hope these resources are helpful.  

I know the feeling of being overwhelmed as a parent with a child that may need medication.  If I can support you in any way, please feel free to reach out.

Darren

Hello,

My children have used neurofeedback for several years with really great benefits. We purchased our own system after what it did for our son. Both of our kids find it very helpful for anxiety. Particularly when going back to school after being off for so long and away from kids. They were feeling anxious about going back. When my son was much younger it helped him with sensory issues, emotional self regulation, behavior, focus, school and confidence in sports. Without neurofeedback he probably would've needed meds because it was such a challenge for him. I literally still pinch myself because it has helped him so much. He is such an easy teenager and gets straight A's. I used to have to struggle to get him to focus on homework and after neurofeedback he would get his work done on his own without any prodding or watching over him. I don't know what our lives would be like without it. 

My daughter struggled with being very introverted and shy. She really came out of her shell after neurofeedback. Her teacher also commented on how her reading and writing just took off. She was only in 1st grade when we started. Now she uses it for focus when she has a project and also to prep to feel more calm, reduced anxiety and more focused for big dance competitions.

We use NeurOptimal neurofeedback. It is amazing for the whole family. You can rent a system or see someone locally for sessions. It is totally safe and non-invasive. We did a lot of research on different types.

I would recommend Super Brain Neurofeedback. Carleigh Rochon specializes in working with kids and teens. She is super knowledgable and really great with kids! 

Sorry I don't have any recs for CBT

We did a neuro developmental assessment a few years ago for my child and while it seemed very thorough, it felt as if they didn't see the challenges or issues that we (and teachers) did. The assessment consisted of a series of specialists who did tested cognitive, speech, all one-on-one with my child and a parent interview. They also did an ADOS, which is used to screen for Autism. After seeing the assessment report, we felt that it didn't pick-up on any of the areas we were concerned about. Their assessment was there might be some anxiety, some giftedness, but nothing hugely concerning. It was frustrating, expensive and left us feeling confused as to what to do to help our child. Now that it's a few years later, we're clearly seeing anxiety and other difficult issues. If we had gone to different provider for the assessment, I don't know if the results would have been different. It's hard to say if the issues simply weren't manifesting as clearly, if they would not have shown up on this type of testing or the assessment wasn't done well. Now that we have a clearer idea of the issues my child is struggling with, we are back to getting a neuro developmental assessment because we're still having difficulty supporting him and feeling like the earlier assessment we did wasn't thorough. 

Ideally, a neuro developmental assessment should be able to screen for things like, ADHD, cognitive disorders, anxiety, Autism Spectrum Disorder, speech disorders, dyslexia, etc. and provide direction as to how to support your child (which therapists to look for). These are done by neuro psychologists or Ph.Ds, I believe, and focus more on behavioral and learning styles. Then there's a developmental pediatricians, who are medical doctor (MDs) that focus more on developmental disorders. This is probably a huge over-simplification as I'm sure there is overlap and much more nuance, too. 

It's overwhelming - learning about the different types of therapies and avenues to find support - I'm still learning as I go, too. 

This is a public list of providers for CBT therapists for OCD and Anxiety.  We just started CBT virtually and it's been difficult, but that doesn't mean it will be for you and your child. Hang in there, and feel free to message me, I'm happy to share any resources/referrals that I've come across. 

My teen daughter did Neuro and it was very helpful for anxiety and emotional dysregulation. She did dynamical that automatically adjusts while using it. It is relaxing and you just listen to music and watch a screen. We did id at Bay Area Brain Spa in Albany on Solano. It helped to calm her and relax her. What it didnt do was affect her moods related to hormonal cycles. The prices are fairly reasonable and they have monthly plans. She did it about 3 months and will go back for a “tune up” as needed