55 W 22nd Street, Lombard, IL 60148Mon to Fri, 9am to 5pm, by appointment
Call 630-448-2721
We’re moving to Hinsdale. We’ll share the new address and opening date soon. Until then, we see patients in Lombard. About the move
Off-label use of TMS

Autism therapy near you, in Lombard and the western suburbs

Looking for autism therapy near you? Autism is our primary focus, at our Lombard clinic minutes from Oak Brook, Downers Grove, Wheaton and Hinsdale. We record a 19-channel qEEG, look at how your child’s brain is working, and use that map to plan gentle, non-invasive TMS aimed at regulation, sleep, attention and communication. No medication and no sedation.

We accept
  • BCBS of Illinois
  • UnitedHealthcare
  • Cigna
  • Aetna
Other plan? We’ll check it

On the call we check your insurance benefits, answer your questions and book your consultation and brain map.

Prefer to write? Request a consultation or verify your insurance.

What is qEEG-guided TMS for autism?

Reign-Bow Brain Treatment Center in Lombard, Illinois records a 19-channel qEEG brain map, then uses it to plan personalized, non-invasive TMS for autistic children, teens and adults, aimed at regulation, sleep, attention and communication. TMS for autism is an off-label use. We verify insurance first and track progress every week, with a repeat brain map partway through care.

A child wearing EEG sensors for a brain map

When the usual supports haven’t been enough

Most families who call us have already done a great deal: speech and occupational therapy, ABA, school plans, sometimes several medications. Those supports matter, and we never ask anyone to stop them. How TMS and ABA differ, and why families use both. For teens whose meltdowns have become aggressive, see aggression and meltdowns in autistic teens.

What parents describe is the part that hasn’t moved. Sleep that never settles. Meltdowns that arrive without warning. A child who is working hard and is still overwhelmed by noise, transitions or a change in routine.

Brain-guided care starts from a different question. Along with asking what a behavior looks like, we measure what the brain is doing, and we build the plan from that.

What a brain map can show

A qEEG records the brain’s electrical activity from 19 sites on the scalp and compares it with a reference database of people the same age. It’s painless, and your child stays awake the whole time.

In autistic children, maps often show patterns such as extra slow-wave activity over the frontal lobes, regions that are firing out of step with one another, or differences in how strongly areas connect. None of these patterns diagnoses autism, and no two children look alike.

What the map gives us is a starting point: which regions and rhythms to work on, and a baseline to measure change against.

Illustration of a qEEG brain mapA head seen from above with 19 recording sites. Color shows where activity is above or below the typical range.Fp1Fp2F7F3FzF4F8T3C3CzC4T4T5P3PzP4T6O1O2Below typicalTypicalAbove typical
Illustration of a qEEG map, not patient data. F3 and F4 sit over the left and right prefrontal cortex, the areas most often targeted in autism TMS research.

How we use TMS

Transcranial magnetic stimulation uses brief magnetic pulses, delivered through a coil resting on the scalp, to shift the activity of the brain tissue underneath. Your child sits in a chair, awake. There are no needles and no anesthesia.

We choose the site, frequency and intensity from the brain map, begin with conservative settings and adjust as we go. Sessions are short, and most children settle into the routine within the first few visits. If a session isn’t going well, we stop. Nothing is ever forced.

What the research says, plainly

You deserve a straight answer on this. TMS is not FDA-cleared for autism, and using it this way is called off-label: legal, common in medicine, and backed by less evidence than a cleared use.

A 2018 review that pooled 23 studies found moderate improvements in repetitive behaviors and social behavior. The same review concluded that the evidence is still preliminary, because most of the studies were small and only six compared real TMS against a sham treatment.1 A consensus statement from autism and brain-stimulation researchers reached a similar view: promising, and in need of larger trials.2

So here is what we can promise: careful screening, conservative settings, objective tracking and honesty about what we see. Some children respond clearly, some modestly and some not at all. If the map and the weekly reports aren’t moving, we’ll tell you.

How we track progress

Each week we ask what you’re seeing at home and at school, and we fold that into the plan. Partway through care we repeat the qEEG and set it beside the first one.

You see both through our NeuroAxis progress reports, so you’re looking at the changes yourself instead of taking our word for it.

Safety

TMS has been used in clinics since 2008. The common side effects are mild: a headache, scalp discomfort where the coil rests, or tiredness after a session.

The serious risk is a seizure, which is rare. Because epilepsy is more common in autistic people, we review every child’s history and EEG before starting and keep stimulation settings conservative. TMS isn’t suitable for anyone with metal or an implanted device in or near the head, such as a cochlear implant.

Alongside therapy and school

TMS doesn’t replace speech therapy, OT, ABA or a good school plan. Keep what’s working. We also offer psychotherapy at the clinic, and we’re glad to coordinate with the providers you already have.

Sources

  1. Barahona-Corrêa JB, Velosa A, Chainho A, Lopes R, Oliveira-Maia AJ. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment of autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience. 2018;12:27.
  2. Oberman LM, et al. Transcranial magnetic stimulation in autism spectrum disorder: challenges, promise, and roadmap for future research. Autism Research. 2016.

Last updated October 2026.

Book a qEEG brain map for autism in Lombard

Most families start with a phone call. You don’t need a referral to book a consultation, and booking a brain map doesn’t commit you to treatment.

  1. Call the office

    Call 630-448-2721, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. We ask a few questions about your child and take your insurance details.

  2. We verify your insurance

    We check your benefits before anything is scheduled and tell you what’s covered and what you would owe.

  3. Consultation and brain map

    You meet our team at the Lombard clinic, and we record a qEEG brain map. The recording takes less than an hour.

  4. Your plan and your cost

    We go through the map with you and explain the recommended plan and its cost in writing. You decide whether to book treatment.

Cost and insurance for autism TMS

Because TMS is off-label for autism, most insurance plans don’t cover the TMS sessions themselves. The consultation, the qEEG brain map and therapy visits are billed separately, and your plan may cover some of them.

We check your benefits with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna and Aetna before anything is scheduled, and we give you self-pay pricing in writing for anything your plan won’t pay for. We’ve written more about whether TMS for autism is covered by insurance in Illinois.

Check my coverage

Questions about autism treatment

Where is there an autism brain treatment center near Chicago?

Reign-Bow Brain Treatment Center in the western suburbs treats autistic children, teens and adults with qEEG brain mapping and personalized TMS, alongside therapy. We do not diagnose autism; families come to us after a diagnosis. TMS for autism is off-label. Reign-Bow Brain Treatment Center sees patients at 55 W 22nd Street in Lombard, IL, and is moving to Hinsdale, IL soon. Call 630-448-2721 to book a consultation.

Is TMS FDA-approved for autism?

No. TMS systems are FDA-cleared for major depression and OCD, among other uses. Using TMS for autism is off-label, which is legal and common in medicine, but it means the evidence is still developing. We go over what that means for your child at the consultation.

What ages do you work with?

We see children, teens and adults. Whether TMS makes sense for a particular child depends on their history, their EEG and whether they can sit comfortably through a session. We decide that together at the consultation.

Will my child tolerate it?

TMS feels like a light tapping on the scalp and makes a clicking sound. Most children get used to it within a few sessions. We start at low intensity, take breaks and never force a session.

Do we have to stop ABA, speech or OT?

No. Keep the supports that are working. We schedule around them and are happy to coordinate with your child’s other providers.

Will insurance cover it?

Coverage depends on your plan and on what is being billed. We verify your benefits before treatment (we work with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna and Aetna) and give you self-pay pricing for anything that isn’t covered.

Autism care for Chicago and the suburbs

Our clinic is in Lombard: about 10 minutes from Oak Brook and Downers Grove, about 15 from Wheaton and Elmhurst, and 15 to 20 from Hinsdale. Families also come from Chicago and the south suburbs.

Drive times and directions for every area

Call our office

We check your insurance benefits first, then answer your questions and help you decide whether a brain map is the right next step. Our team answers the phone during clinic hours.

We accept
  • BCBS of Illinois
  • UnitedHealthcare
  • Cigna
  • Aetna
Other plan? We’ll check it

What happens when you call

  1. Tell us who the care is for and what’s been going on. No records needed for the first call.
  2. We check your benefits with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare, Cigna or Aetna, or walk you through self-pay pricing. HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
  3. We book your consultation and qEEG brain map at a time that works for you.

Prefer to write? Request a consultation or verify your insurance.

BCBS IL · UnitedHealthcare · Cigna · Aetna accepted

Call 630-448-2721