Who we help · ADHD

ADHD — it's not a failure of effort.

It's a pattern in how attention networks fire and connect. Mapping that pattern directly is a useful starting point for a personalised, non-invasive plan.

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What it is

What is ADHD?

ADHD — attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder — is a different way the brain regulates attention, impulse, and time. It is not laziness, not lack of intelligence, and not a failure of will.

Around 6–8% of Australian children and 2–4% of adults are estimated to have ADHD [1]. The presentations we see most include:

  • Inattentive — difficulty starting tasks, holding focus on what's not interesting, losing track of time, missing details others notice.
  • Hyperactive-impulsive — restlessness, difficulty waiting, blurting, internal busyness even when the body looks still.
  • Combined — features of both, in shifting proportions across the day, the week, and the season of life.
  • Adult ADHD — often surfacing in periods of higher demand (parenthood, leadership, career change), even when school years went unflagged.

Underneath, the brain is often running an under-aroused attention system — too quiet in the regions that initiate, sustain and switch focus. The work, in any clinical setting, is to help that system come up to speed.

What this can feel like

Three patterns we see — and how they tend to land in real life.

qEEG markers are statistical, not diagnostic. But many of the people we see with ADHD describe something like the lines on the right.

qEEG marker

Elevated theta-beta ratio

What people describe

"I sit at my desk for an hour and have done nothing. Not refusing — just unable to start."

qEEG marker

Default-mode interference

What people describe

"I'm in the room but not in the conversation. The other person kept going and I was somewhere else."

qEEG marker

Variable attention regulation

What people describe

"I can hyperfocus for six hours on what I love, and not start what I should."

Composite descriptions — not testimonials. AHPRA s133 compliant.

In the brain

What a qEEG can reveal about ADHD.

qEEG cannot diagnose ADHD — that work belongs to a paediatrician, adult psychiatrist, or registered psychologist with assessment endorsement. It can give us a structured picture of patterns frequently associated with attention difficulties.

Theta-beta ratio

The longest-studied EEG marker in ADHD research is the theta-to-beta ratio at frontal-central sites. Children and some adults with ADHD show elevated theta and reduced beta — a signature of cortical "under-arousal" of the attention system [2]. The marker is not present in everyone with ADHD, and not absent in everyone without — but when it shows up, it tells us where to start.

Default-mode network interference

Newer research has focused on how the default-mode network (active during mind-wandering) and the task-positive network compete. People with ADHD often show incomplete suppression of default-mode activity during goal-directed tasks — which lines up with the lived experience of being there but not there [3].

Sensorimotor and frontal coherence

Connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and the sensorimotor strip is involved in sustained attention and impulse control. Disrupted coherence here often appears in qEEGs of people with the inattentive presentation.

What this is and isn't

These are group-level tendencies, not diagnostic tests. The point of measuring is not to confirm a label — your paediatrician or psychiatrist does that. The point is to understand what your particular brain is doing, so a personalised plan can target the patterns actually present.

Our approach

How we work with ADHD.

We start with a qEEG to see the brain-activity patterns most often associated with ADHD — elevated theta-beta ratio, default-mode interference, disrupted prefrontal-sensorimotor coherence. From there we build a non-invasive plan drawn from five clinician-led modalities, sequenced to what we measure rather than a template.

  • Neurofeedback — operant training of attention-network rhythms. The most-researched modality in our toolkit for ADHD, with both supportive and cautionary evidence we engage with openly [4, 5].
  • Biofeedback — autonomic-nervous-system regulation that supports the body-state attention sits on top of.
  • Functional neurological exercises — vestibular, ocular-motor, balance and (for children) primitive-reflex integration drills targeting specific neural pathways.
  • Neuro-nutrition — foundations including stable blood sugar, omega-3 status, and the brain-supporting basics that often go unaddressed.
  • Mind-body work — practices that reinforce regulation between sessions: breath, movement, brief structured rituals.

Sessions are tracked. The plan is revisable. You — or your child — leaves each appointment knowing what changed and why.

How this fits with your other care. Formal ADHD diagnosis and consideration of stimulant or non-stimulant medication sit with paediatricians, adult psychiatrists, and registered psychologists with assessment endorsement. Our work sits alongside that. We coordinate with prescribing clinicians where medication is part of the plan, and we don't diagnose or prescribe.

Care pathway

A typical ADHD pathway with us.

For children and adults. The shape varies; the sequence below is what most people experience.

  1. Step 1 · Online · From $47

    Brain Health Assessment

    A 14-network online assessment with a personalised 30-day plan. The lowest-friction way to see whether attention-network patterns are showing up in measurable ways.

  2. Step 2 · In-clinic · $1,097

    qEEG Brain Map Deep Dive

    A 19-channel qEEG, ERP testing, and a 1-hour clinical review with Dr Ash. For children, parent involvement is built into the appointment.

  3. Step 3 · 10-week programme · $4,997

    Core Integration Programme

    20 sessions of swLORETA neurofeedback plus biofeedback, functional neurological exercises, and home-prescribed work — sequenced for what your map shows. Reassessment at the end.

  4. Step 4 · Ongoing

    Step down or maintain

    Some children and adults graduate out of clinical care entirely. Others step down into the membership tier with periodic top-up sessions.

Book a consultation See full pricing
Evidence & research

An honest reading list.

The evidence base for neurofeedback in ADHD is the most developed of any condition we work with — and it is also genuinely contested. We engage with both sides, in line with AHPRA's acceptable-evidence standards.

  1. Australian ADHD Professionals Association (2022). Australian Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for ADHD. Estimated prevalence in children 6–8%; in adults 2–4%.
  2. Arns, M., de Ridder, S., Strehl, U., Breteler, M., & Coenen, A. (2009). Efficacy of neurofeedback treatment in ADHD: the effects on inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity — a meta-analysis. Clinical EEG and Neuroscience, 40(3), 180–189.
  3. Sonuga-Barke, E., et al. (2013). Nonpharmacological interventions for ADHD: systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials of dietary and psychological treatments. American Journal of Psychiatry, 170(3), 275–289.
  4. Riesco-Matías, P., Yela-Bernabé, J.R., Crego, A., & Sánchez-Zaballos, E. (2021). What do meta-analyses have to say about the efficacy of neurofeedback applied to children with ADHD? Journal of Attention Disorders, 25(4), 473–485.
  5. Neurofeedback Collaborative Group (2024). Double-blind placebo-controlled randomised clinical trial of neurofeedback for ADHD. JAMA Psychiatry. The most rigorous sham-controlled study to date — read it carefully and we will discuss it with you.
  6. Monastra, V.J., Lubar, J.F., & Linden, M. (2001). The development of a quantitative electroencephalographic scanning process for ADHD: reliability and validity studies. Neuropsychology, 15(1), 136–144.

Citations are illustrative for the prototype build. Final references will be reviewed and updated by Dr Ash and the content team before publication.

Keep reading
Who we help

Executive function — the sister concern.

Many adults with persistent executive-function difficulties haven't pursued an ADHD diagnosis. We work with them either way.

Who we help · Focus & attention
Treatment

qEEG brain mapping.

The signature assessment that opens every plan. What it measures, what it shows, and what to expect on the day.

Treatment · Signature
Treatment

Functional neurological exercises.

Vestibular, ocular-motor and balance drills — particularly relevant for paediatric ADHD work.

Treatment · Targeted
FAQ

Common questions about ADHD care.

Do you diagnose ADHD?

No. Formal ADHD diagnosis sits with paediatricians, adult psychiatrists, and registered psychologists with assessment endorsement. We work alongside those clinicians.

Will neurofeedback replace stimulant medication?

No. Medication decisions are between you and the prescribing paediatrician or psychiatrist. We work alongside whatever pharmacological care is in place, and we don't make recommendations about medication.

Do you see children?

Yes — we regularly work with children, typically from around age 7 upwards. Sessions are adjusted for younger nervous systems, parent involvement is built in, and home prescriptions are designed to fit family life.

Do I need a formal ADHD diagnosis to come?

No. Many adults we see with attention and executive-function difficulties have not pursued — or do not want — a formal label. We work with the patterns we see, regardless of whether a diagnosis is in place.

How is what you do different from "brain training" apps?

Brain-training apps work cognitive performance through repeated tasks. Neurofeedback uses real-time EEG to provide feedback on actual brain rhythms, with a clinician in the loop. The two are different — they're not substitutes for each other.

Can any of this be done online?

The Brain Health Assessment, biofeedback coaching, neuro-nutrition consultations, and clinical telehealth all run online. The 19-channel qEEG and in-clinic neurofeedback need a visit to Camperdown or Geelong.

Map the attention network

Start with a clearer picture.

Whether for yourself or your child — a consultation or the online Assessment is the right first step.

Book a consultation Start online

Scope of practice. Dr Ash Connell (Chiropractor) is registered with AHPRA. We do not diagnose ADHD and we do not prescribe medication. The work described here is offered as an adjunct alongside paediatric, psychiatric, psychological, and educational care.

If you need urgent support, contact your GP, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800, or in an emergency call 000.

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