Sensory Enrichment Therapy
for

Addiction Recovery

Scientific research shows environmental enrichment improves the brain's ability to overcome addiction

We believe sensory enrichment could help in the following areas:

  • Fewer withdrawals symptoms,

  • Fewer clients wanting to leave against professional advice,

  • Improved mood regulation during and post treatment,

    and even possibly

  • Long term recovery with a lower rate of relapse.

How it works

We use sensory enrichment to help addicts feel more in control and more at peace by:

  • helping the brain to re-balance its neurochemistry

  • facilitating increased processing speed between both sides of the brain

  • improving sleep mechanisms

  • populating weak brain functions with new connections

Environmental Enrichment

Environmental Enrichment is a field of neuroscience that studies the impact of sensory, motor, cognitive and social experiences on brain development and brain function.

Neuroplasticity, or the lifelong ability of the brain to create more neurons, more connections, and more supportive tissue, and to re-balance neurotransmitters is now widely understood.

Sensory Enrichment Therapy

Sensory Enrichment Therapy is a new evidence-based treatment modality that was developed by translating the protocols used in the science lab into short, fun, hands-on experiences that people can do from home and in residential programs to trigger the brain’s plasticity mechanisms.

Clinical Evidence

It has been validated in randomized controlled trials with children with developmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder. Children who followed the program were 6 times more likely to achieve clinically significant gains compared to their peers who only followed standard care.

Pre-clinical evidence​

There have been many animal studies looking at the impact of environmental enrichment on addiction.

Key findings include:

• Reduces craving incubation in male and female rats.

• Reduces cue-induced heroin seeking in male in female rats.

• May have a potential treatment utility for heroin use disorders.

• Significantly shortened chronic stress-delayed extinction and decreased the reinstatement of ethanol-conditioned place preference.

• An effective behavioral strategy to reduce drug-related behaviors.

• Leads to neural adaptations in brain regions highly implicated in drug reward and use disorder.

• Beneficial for individuals struggling with substance use disorder.

• Response to cocaine of EE mice was reduced (approximately 65%) compared with sensitized mice housed in standard environments.

• After 30 days of EE, the reactivity to cocaine of sensitized mice was similar to that of the non-sensitized mice that were housed in standard or enriched environments.

• Facilitate abstinence and preventing relapse to cocaine addiction.

Eliminate already established addiction-related behaviors

Results of 10-person pilot​

In Canada, an Outpatient Program Treatment Centre enrolled 10 of their most consistent clients in a 12-week pilot program with Mendability to see if Sensory Enrichment could help their brains compensate for addiction.

We are looking for addiction recovery treatment centers interested in working with us to create the next-generation residential programs.

Would you like to talk to us?

Set up a quick 20-minute call to discuss piloting a program of environmental enrichment to help reduce recovery time and chances of relapse.

Different conditions that look like ADHD

A number of medical conditions or their treatments may cause signs and symptoms similar to those of ADHD.

Examples include:

• Learning or language problems

• Mood disorders such as depression or anxiety

• Seizure disorders

• Vision or hearing problems

• Autism spectrum disorder

• Medical problems or medications that affect thinking or behavior

• Sleep disorders

• Brain injury

Causes of ADHD and Current Treatments

Stimulant medications

As a disorder where the brain struggles to regulate its dopamine function, it makes sense to address it medically with stimulant drugs (psychostimulants) that affect how the person's own dopamine is released or absorbed, etc.

Dopamine is a chemical in the brain (neurotransmitter) that is invovled in good mood, motivation, memory, movement and attention.

Stimulant drugs are available in short-acting and long-acting forms. The right dose varies from child to child, so it may take some time to find the correct dose.

And the dose may need to be adjusted if significant side effects occur or as your child matures.

Ask your doctor about the side effects of stimulants.

Other medications

Other chemicals in the brain can be affected with ADHD. Different types of medications will affect different neurotransmitters differently.

Some will work on the brain's norepinepehrine, some on the brain's Serotonin levels. etc.

These may be good options if your child can't take stimulants because of health problems or if stimulants cause severe side effects.

Giving medications safely

It's very important to make sure medication is taken as prescribed by the physician. See the doctor regularly to determine if the medication needs to be adjusted, especially if you are following a program like Sensory Enrichment Therapy designed to support changes in the brain.

ADHD behavior therapy

Children with ADHD are sometimes taken to behavior therapy, social skills training, parent skills training and counselling, which may be provided by a psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker or other mental health professional.

One Size Fits Not All

Whatever your child is diagnosed with, the best approach is a team approach, Listen to teachers, therapists and physicians and put together what makes sense to you.

Sensory Enrichment Therapy for ADHD

Sensory Enrichment Therapy is a subset of Environmental Enrichment, which is the field of neuroscience that looks at the plasticity of the brain and the types of experiences (cognitive, sensory, social, motor, etc.) that can have an impact on brain development and brain function.

With Sensory Enrichment Therapy we focus on sensory and motor experiences because they are the ones that have the most clinical evidence showing a positive impact.

Mendability developed Sensory Enrichment Therapy as program based on daily, short, hands-on games designed to trigger a boost in activity and growth in targeted brain functions.

The program is updated every two weeks based on the participant's response, progress, and goals.

ADHD and Environmental Enrichment

Animal research suggests that Environmental Enrichment and enhanced Multisensory Stimulation can impact core symptoms of ADHD.

Utsunomiya R, Mikami K, Doi T, Choudhury ME, Jogamoto T, Tokunaga N, Ishii E, Eguchi M, Yano H, Tanaka J. Rearing in an Enriched Environment Ameliorates the ADHD-like Behaviors of Lister Hooded Rats While Suppressing Neuronal Activities in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex. Cells. 2022 Nov 17;11(22):3649. doi: 10.3390/cells11223649. PMID: 36429076; PMCID: PMC9688563.

Coopersmith R, Weihmuller FB, Kirstein CL, Marshall JF, Leon M. Extracellular dopamine increases in the neonatal olfactory bulb during odor preference training. Brain Res. 1991 Nov 8;564(1):149-53. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(91)91365-8. PMID: 1777817.

Corredor K, Duran JM, Herrera-Isaza L, Forero S, Quintanilla JP, Gomez A, Martínez GS, Cardenas FP. Behavioral effects of environmental enrichment on male and female wistar rats with early life stress experiences. Front Physiol. 2022 Sep 26;13:837661. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2022.837661. PMID: 36225294; PMCID: PMC9548697.

Batistuzzo A, de Almeida GG, Brás TS, Zucato VP, Arnold AJT, Giannocco G, Sato JM, Yamanouchi LM, Dias E, Lorena FB, do Nascimento BPP, Bianco AC, Ribeiro MO. Multisensory Stimulation Improves Cognition and Behavior in Adult Male Rats Born to LT4-treated Thyroidectomized Dams. Endocrinology. 2022 Sep 1;163(9):bqac105. doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqac105. PMID: 35914267; PMCID: PMC9354969.

Groß C, Serrallach BL, Möhler E, Pousson JE, Schneider P, Christiner M, Bernhofs V. Musical Performance in Adolescents with ADHD, ADD and Dyslexia- Behavioral and Neurophysiological Aspects. Brain Sci. 2022 Jan 18;12(2):127. doi: 10.3390/brainsci12020127. PMID: 35203891; PMCID: PMC8870592.

Hobbiesiefken U, Mieske P, Lewejohann L, Diederich K. Evaluation of different types of enrichment - their usage and effect on home cage behavior in female mice. PLoS One. 2021 Dec 23;16(12):e0261876. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261876. PMID: 34941949; PMCID: PMC8699725.

Chan YS, Jang JT, Ho CS. Effects of physical exercise on children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Biomed J. 2022 Apr;45(2):265-270. doi: 10.1016/j.bj.2021.11.011. Epub 2021 Nov 29. PMID: 34856393; PMCID: PMC9250090.

Ball NJ, Mercado E 3rd, Orduña I. Enriched Environments as a Potential Treatment for Developmental Disorders: A Critical Assessment. Front Psychol. 2019 Mar 6;10:466. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00466. PMID: 30894830; PMCID: PMC6414413.

Normann MC, McNeal N, Dagner A, Ihm E, Woodbury M, Grippo AJ. The Influence of Environmental Enrichment on Cardiovascular and Behavioral Responses to Social Stress. Psychosom Med. 2018 Apr;80(3):271-277. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000558. PMID: 29360667; PMCID: PMC8283515.

Human translation

What we have done is to translate animal model protocols into short, fun, hands-on games you can do at home, at school or in your treatment facility.

More questions? More examples of games?

Improved Attention

Poor attention span in ADHD results from a combination of:

- neurochemical deficits (dopamine and norepinephrine),
- functional differences (imbalanced DMN and TPN activity), and
- structural challenges (delayed maturation of the prefrontal cortex).

These factors make it difficult to initiate, sustain, and regulate attention, especially for tasks that are repetitive or lack intrinsic interest.

In clinical studies, it has been shown that Sensory Enrichment therapy can improve attention span in 6 months by an average of 10%.

This means that in a year, what used to be a major problem is now a minor problem, or what was a minor problem is now maybe a problem.

The table above shows the areas tracked by the program and by how much they changed on average over a population of 1,002 children aged 1-18. The scores are change are measured on a scale of 1 to 5.

Enhanced Motor Skills:

Our sensory enrichment activities are designed to improve coordination, balance, and fine motor skills by creating new connections in the brain through novel sensory experiences.

Below are the improvements measured in motor skills in 1,002 children aged 1 to 18, after 6 months of Sensory Enrichment Therapy. The study was published in Neural Plasticity in 2016.

Better Sleep Patterns

Sleep disturbances are common in individuals with AS. Our program includes sensory activities that help regulate the brain’s sleep-wake cycle, promoting better sleep quality and duration.

Below are the improvements measured in sleep patterns in 1,002 children aged 1 to 18, after 6 months of Sensory Enrichment Therapy. The study was published in Neural Plasticity in 2016.

Reduced Anxiety and Behavioral Challenges

Individuals with Angelman Syndrome may experience heightened anxiety and behavioral issues. Sensory Enrichment Therapy helps calm the brain by regulating sensory input, leading to a more balanced emotional state and a reduction in challenging behaviors.

Below are the improvements measured in anxiety and behavior in 1,002 children aged 1 to 18, after 6 months of Sensory Enrichment Therapy. The study was published in Neural Plasticity in 2016.

Ready to Get Started?

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What if there was a way to support your child’s brain and finally help them with all of that…

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3,000+

Join 3,000+ other families who have also followed Mendability's Sensory Enrichment Therapy!

“This is really working! My toddler has started using functional language!

His cognition has improved, his motor skills are getting way better, he is finally starting to climb and point and wave and able to copy signs. He has been blossoming intensely, really catching up at a faster rate. Now we have SO much hope!”

– Melissa M. (New Zealand)

parent of a 3-year-old boy

“I think that [my son] is responding great to the therapy! He definitely seems to be following instructions better across the board and is just a little more aware of the world around him.

We have also seen some improvements in speech, pronunciation, eating, handwriting and overall function.”

– Sara J. (California)

parent of a 4-year-old boy

“I went to the library where we spent about 2 hours, and both of the girls were happily reading while staying in their seats. In our prior visits, the oldest one just roamed and ran around the library while I chased her. This time, I was pleasantly surprised by how long my oldest daughter (4) sat and stayed focus on reading. This has never happened before!”

– Mary M. (Texas)

parent of a 4-year-old-girl

The top 5 areas where parents report the most improvements in the first few weeks are Sleep, Eating, Social Skills, Attention and Sensory Processing

Tailored enrichment therapy is designed to boost brain plasticity in targeted brain functions

• Emotion (motivation to engage with other people),

• Self-awareness (where do I fit in space and this social world?),

• Fine motor (can I control my voice box, lips, breathing, etc.?),

• Auditory processing (can I hear myself speak?),

• Memory and learning (vocabulary, sentence structure),

• Mental image (can I picture what I want to say in my mind?), etc.

As these tools improve in the brain, the bottlenecks that slowed down natural speech development should fade away.

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