WESTPORT, Conn. -- Cutting-edge technology is already available as an alternative to medicine to help the estimated 7 million U.S. people who suffer from attention deficit disorder.

Mom Lisa Cozzi said she brought her children, 11-year-old Daniel and 13-year-old twins Joseph and Michael, to the Gray Matters clinic in Westport for help.

"We have attention issues in our house," she said.

Gray Matters helps children and adults suffering from attention deficit disorder and attention deficit hyperactive disorder learn to focus by playing video games.

"I'm pretty strongly against medication, so I'm trying to find a natural way to help my kids focus better," Cozzi said.

Gray Matters Director Anthony Silver said the clinic uses a system called SmartBrain Technologies, which uses neuro-feedback therapy to measure and create brainwave activity.

While this type of therapy has been around for sometime, Silver said, the SmartBrain Technologies system is different because it combines Playstation and X-Box video games with NASA-developed technology, uses saline-based sensors instead of the more-invasive, traditional electrodes and can be played at home rather than just at the doctor's office.

As part of the treatment, a player wears a Velcro visor that monitors his or her level of distraction, Silver said. He said those brain waves show up on his computer, which is connected to the video game.

During one treatment, the Cozzi boys raced cars. Silver said the system is designed to slow down a player's car when he or she loses focus. He said their controls will vibrate and beep -- an uncomfortable reminder to re-focus.

Basically, Silver said, the more focused the player is, the faster the car goes.

This type of therapy has been used to optimize concentration for athletes, business executives and more.

"You're training the brain to work in a specific frequency and rewarding it for doing that," Silver said. "The more you do that, the more the brain gets used to working in that frequency, the more the blood flow goes to the areas associated with that frequency, and the effects become permanent because of it."

As a mom, Cozzi said the best part is that studies have shown that this treatment is as effective as giving a child medication, but without the side effects.

For more information, visit the Web sites for Gray Matters and SmartBrain Technologies.