Neurocore, a program that blends diet, exercise, clinical talk therapy and an intervention called neurofeedback that involves attaching electrodes to people’s heads, last year agreed to alter its marketing when an advertising review board objected to ads promoting cures for a host of disorders. Kyle Gregory connects puzzle pieces at LearningRx. LearningRx maintained that the FTC had unfairly applied medical standards to an educational company, but decided that fighting in court would have been too expensive. LearningRx paid $200,000 in 2016 to settle charges by the Federal Trade Commission about deceptive claims. “We want science to drive treatment and intervention, not just anecdotes,” said Max Wiznitzer, a pediatric neurologist in Cleveland and the co-chair of CHADD’s professional advisory board.īrain training companies are careful to comply with federal advertising laws, avoiding phrases like “treat” or “cure.” But some companies have run into trouble. Groups that advocate for people with autism and ADHD, including Autism Speaks and Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, or CHADD, warn parents to be wary of companies like these that claim to address a long list of disorders without much scientific proof. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos disclosed that she and her husband are major shareholders. Other companies include Neurocore Brain Performance Centers, which made headlines in 2017 when U.S. centers and 20 international centers next year. The company declined to provide revenue numbers but says it hopes to add eight U.S. as well as 85 centers called BrainRx around the globe. Brain Balance has 108 locations and said it brought in $51.3 million last year.
But these centers are now in most major U.S. Those numbers don’t include franchises like Brain Balance or LearningRx, which Fernandez says are more difficult to track financially. The global market for direct-to-consumer technology grew from $475 million in 2012 to $1.9 billion last year, Fernandez said. Much of the growth in brain training is in apps and games that people use at home or in school, said Alvaro Fernandez, CEO of SharpBrains, a research firm that tracks the neurotechnology industry. “They took my money,” Sabti said, “and my son was the same.” ‘We want science to drive treatment’ “The whole thing is a hoax,” said Atheer Sabti, who took out a $12,500 loan in 2017 to pay for a six-month Brain Balance program in Plano, Texas, to help his then 12-year-old son, who was getting into trouble and struggling to focus in school. And when he's not as frustrated, we don't have behavior issues.”īut other parents say they’ve seen only minor improvements - if any - despite months of hard work and high bills. “It’s giving him skills to help when he is frustrated. “LearningRx makes you use your brain in a different way than you do in school,” said Kyle’s mother, Alana Gregory, who says her son is focusing better and is less likely to hit other children than he was before he started the program in August. “These organizations are not necessarily predatory, but they are definitely there and almost chasing the parents who are desperate, who are overwhelmed and who feel that they have no recourse.”Īs the number of children diagnosed with ADHD and autism surges in the U.S., according to federal data, and as parents become exasperated with treatments that don’t work or involve medications that carry the risk of side effects, neurotechnology industry analysts predict the demand for programs like these will only grow. “They’re selling hope,” said Eric Rossen, the director of professional development and standards for the National Association of School Psychologists. Families have gone into debt or turned to crowdfunding sites to pay for them. These personalized programs can cost $12,000 or more for six months of training, three days a week.
Elaine Cromie / for NBC Newsīut the premise behind the programs has faced significant criticism from doctors and scientists who warn that some are making dubious claims. Isak's parents credit the Brain Balance program with reducing the violent tantrums that used to torment him and his family. Brick-and-mortar training centers like Brain Balance Achievement Centers, which Izak attends, and LearningRx, Kyle’s program, are just one piece of a $2 billion global brain technology market that is increasingly going around the medical industry and marketing directly to consumers. The programs are part of a fast-growing industry that’s based on the premise that targeted games and exercises can rewire the brain to boost memory, sharpen thinking or decrease the challenges associated with anxiety, autism, ADHD and other disorders.