Self-regulation training for anxiety, sleep, attention and emotions in autistic people, from age 5, in Brétigny-sur-Orge (Essonne, near Paris).
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a different way of perceiving the environment, communicating and relating to others. Every autistic person has a unique profile, with their own strengths and needs. In everyday life, it is often the associated difficulties that are the most exhausting, for children and adults alike:
Our aim is not to change autism, but to help the person cope better with the things they find difficult. Neurofeedback, a non-invasive and drug-free form of training, uses sensors placed on the scalp to record the brain’s electrical activity, without sending anything into it. Real-time feedback (images, sound, a film) shows each time this activity moves in the intended direction. Over the course of the sessions, the brain becomes better at self-regulation: returning more easily to a calm, receptive state. Biofeedback extends this work to the body: cardiac coherence (heart coherence breathing), breathing, muscle tension and electrodermal activity (skin conductance) help people recognise the signs of overload and calm down more quickly. Sessions are adapted to each person’s sensitivities: we show the sensors in advance, move forward step by step and take breaks when needed.
Step 1
A careful, in-depth initial interview (history, diagnosis, current support), age-appropriate questionnaires (sleep with the SDSC, attention with the SNAP-IV, anxiety, posture questionnaire) and a quantitative EEG (qEEG) compared with the values of a normative database. Find out more about the programme or how the qEEG assessment works.
Step 2
A protocol built on the assessment and your priorities: calming, sleep, attention or managing emotions. swLORETA Z-score neurofeedback (19-channel) or a personalised two-channel protocol is combined with biofeedback, in one-hour sessions, once or twice a week.
Step 3
After about fifteen sessions, a mid-point qEEG assessment is compared with the first one. The questionnaires, along with your observations and those of the professionals supporting the person, help us adjust the goals.
Studies on neurofeedback in autism are still few in number and involve small groups. In a randomised trial published in Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, Kouijzer et al. (2013) compared EEG neurofeedback, blinded skin conductance biofeedback and a waiting list in 38 autistic participants, with a six-month follow-up. Just over half of the participants learnt to modulate their brain activity; in this group, the autistic characteristics reported by parents did not decrease significantly, but cognitive flexibility improved.
More recently, Wang et al. (2024), in Current Medical Science, followed 60 autistic children aged 3 to 6 who were all receiving the same behavioural interventions, with either mu rhythm neurofeedback or sham neurofeedback in addition. After 60 sessions, both groups had made progress, and the neurofeedback group had progressed further in expressive language and joint attention. This is a single study, funded by the manufacturer of the device used, and its findings have yet to be confirmed.
In France, the January 2026 recommendation from the French National Authority for Health (HAS) on interventions for autistic children and adolescents lists neurofeedback among the interventions it does not recommend, because the available studies provide an insufficient level of evidence. In addition, little research has looked at the associated difficulties in their own right in autism. This is why, at the centre, we do not present neurofeedback as an intervention for autism. The decision to start training is an informed one, made together with the person, their family and, ideally, the professionals who support them.
A lot also happens outside sessions: a regular sleep pattern and a predictable bedtime routine, how screens are used in the evening, time to recover after highly stimulating days, and physical activity. For children, parent coaching helps you spot the signs of overload and the calming strategies that work. With your consent, we liaise with the doctor, psychologist, speech and language therapist, psychomotor therapist, occupational therapist or school. The Élan Minds app, coming soon, will help you continue this work at home.
See also our pages on sleep problems, anxiety and stress and neurofeedback and ADHD.
Autistic children from age 5, teenagers and adults with an ASD diagnosis (confirmed or in progress), when anxiety, sleep, attention or emotions make everyday life more difficult. If there is no diagnosis and you have concerns, we will first refer you to the appropriate professionals: your GP (family doctor), a paediatrician or a specialist diagnostic team.
No. Autism is part of who the person is and is not a training target. Neurofeedback and biofeedback focus on associated difficulties, such as anxiety, sleep or attention. For ASD, the HAS does not recommend neurofeedback because of insufficient evidence, so it should be an informed choice.
On average, the programme involves around thirty one-hour sessions, once or twice a week: after the qEEG assessment come about fifteen sessions, a follow-up assessment, then about fifteen more sessions, adjusted in light of the results.
The sensors only record: they send no current and do not hurt. We take the time to show them, let the child handle them and move forward gradually, respecting the child’s limits.
No. It works alongside educational, therapy and medical support; it does not replace it. Medication must never be stopped or adjusted without the agreement of the person’s doctor.