Web MD Video

Here is a video posted on line about IM.

More Data Speaks from Across the US

The Children's Therapy Center has posted some very nice parent evaluations of what Interactive Metronome has done for their children. You can see other clinics are seeing the same type of gains that I am. They also include some handwriting samples. Excellent! Click on the children's therapy link to see the parent's letters.

Timing's Strong Relationship to Intelligence

Dr. McGrew's site has just posted information about how timing in the brain is related to intelligence. A quote from the abstract reads, "In the present study, the relationship between performance on temporal (timing) and pitch discrimination and psychometric intelligence was investigated in a sample of 164 participants by means of an experimental dissociation paradigm. Performance on both temporal(timing) and pitch discrimination was substantially related to psychometric intelligence (r = .43 and r =.39). The present study yielded further evidence for a functional relationship between psychometric intelligence and temporal as well as pitch discrimination acuity"

Autism: A Fraction of a Second Delay

"We found that signatures of autism are revealed in the timing of brain activity," Dr. Roberts said. "We see a fraction of a second delay in autistic patients." Read entire article here.

Missing Recess for Misbehavior

A mom came today concerned because her son's teacher reported that the child was missing almost all of his recesses for incomplete assignments. The teacher had even expressed to the mom, "He probably needs recess the most." Though the child's teacher innately understood the value of recess for this child, wanting desperately to find a way to help the child succeed, she had resorted to the standard practice of taking recess away. I believe this is often actually more harmful than helpful. The TEACHER's gut instinct understood that too! Let me explain.

It may not seem like much, but it's a BIG DEAL!

Two parents emailed me this week using the phrase, "It may not seem like much, but ...."

Why? Why would a parent say, "It may not seem like much.." when it's a change that they are thrilled to see?

Maybe because most other children that age do the noted behavior fairly easily. It's not hard for most children. Most parents haven't specifically taught, made charts, read books, or searched online about "ordinary" skills other children acquire so easily.

Your child didn't pick it up typically. For your child there was a gap between expectations and performance. The behavior was one you just expected your child to have, but he/she didn't. Every time the gap showed itself, you felt frustrated, saddened... Maybe even a little like you failed in parenting somehow. It's such a simple easy thing... Why doesn't he/she just do it? It is an area of struggle, failure, shortcoming, or simply missing the fullness of life.

Now - all of a sudden - your child acts "normal" in that area. It's so exciting! You're thrilled! Though, it's just being "normal," I don't discount those gains. They're HUGE. Every time I see a parent a few years out of IM and hear their child is "typical," "normal," or "doing fine," I am SO EXCITED! Every child should have a chance at a "normal" life! Through my own son's experience and five years now with IM, I believe IM helps children reach that goal, or at least get closer to that goal.

Here are the two "It-may-not-seem-like-much" statements I received:

Two days ago: I am seeing some gains that I didn't expect to see. He is starting to ask what words mean. For example if I use a word he is not familiar with he is asking, "What does that mean?" instead of dismissing or ignoring it. Also, last night he had homework - he put it off for quite a while then he got frustrated with me asking him and he snarled at me then took his pencil and his paper and went to his room. When he came back out, he had actually done almost the whole page and asked me to check them. I was amazed. This might not seem like much, but for him it is a big deal.


Today's Email: I think this is VERY significant! The one thing that (my son) has never been able to do is show affection. Has never been one to give us a kiss goodnight…no hugs…unless forced, really. This morning, he came up to me to give me his lunch box from yesterday – he laid it in front of me explaining what was in it and said “Okay, mom,” patting me lovingly on the arm. This may not seem like a big deal….but it brought tears to my eyes. He just never touches in that way. So, a “major” break through.

For Brad, I often said, "It may not see like much to most people, but for Brad it was huge... He took out the trash for the first time in his life without being prompted." Yes, a 17 year old ought to be able to initiate taking out the garbage! We were hugely concerned that this extremely bright child who scored a 34 on his ACT would end up living at home until he was 30 because he couldn't take out the garbage (just a sign of the struggles he was having)! Guess what! He's been independent since 8 months after his first round of IM and at 23 is in grad school now!! That's why, yes it may not seem like much.... BUT IT'S HUGE!

The Motor Cortex of the Brain

A good video showing the sensory motor parts of the brain that IM tasks work, one of many regions worked. When you focus on hand movement, leg movement, trunk or hip movement, you build a different neuro-network.

How do we get from intention to action?

How is it that we intend to not eat that chocolate, yet when it appears before us, we drop it into our mouths? What is intention's connection to action? Dr. Ann Graybiel's UC Davis MIND Institute's October, 2008 Distinquished Presenter discusses this question. During her 6 pm presentation, my mind was firing wildly on how this new research is deeply connected to IM. The Basal Ganglia, shown by Dr. Neil Alpiner to be one of the deep structures in the brain activated by IM, has long been known to be the area of release and inhibition of movement.

FAQ: What time of day is the best for IM training?

Scheduling IM ( the biggest challenge )

8:00 - 9:15 am The preferred time for the child under 8 yrs old.
9:30 - 10:45 am Great for any grade school age child.
11:00 am - 1:00 pm (any 75 minutes)- Many parents like this slot; easier to transport and usually less academic information is missed.
1:30 - 2:45 pm Good for 8 and up that have average or better stamina. Students with low stamina will see more gain in the mornings typically.
3:00 - 5:00 (earliest 75 minutes that works) Reserved for Middle and High school.

Typically children come 3 days a week during the school year, avoiding Friday's if possible (children are just too worn out, especially the ones I see who work twice as hard to accomplish half as much). Many area schools are now familiar enough with IM that most teachers are fairly accommodating. They have confidence that the child will, post IM, have a better school year. Some parents try to recognize the teacher's accommodations and willingness to be flexible with a small baked item or personal thank you note. Summer training happens 5 days per week.

Scheduling IM can be challenging, but it's a short term commitment. When we went through various interventions with our son, everything was long term. Years of counseling, behavior modification programs, medication and a lot of cost. IM, relatively speaking, is extremely quick and inexpensive.

I am amazed how many grandparents help in transportation (and even the cost.)  I even have some groups of grandparents and kids together - loads of fun. Use the resources you have to help out. Some times people are honored to be asked.

FAQ: Can we do 5 days a week during the school year rather than just 3 days?

Though I know much of IM's research is based on training 5 days a week, my experience has led me to recommend 3 or 4 days a week when school is in session, especially for children with lower stamina. If students do 5 sessions a week during the school year, I find that on Friday I usually don’t see the gains that I do the other days. The combination of school and IM is just too exhausting!

During the summer, I do IM five days a week. No problem. When I am in a school, I also do IM 5 days a week. The teachers have helped to work out the schedules so the children won't have much make up homework and the children miss less class time with no travel time. I do notice some children in the schools are a little less efficient by Friday, but I don't have the flexibility to stretch the training out like I do in my office. I typically see very nice gains either way - 3 days a week or 5 days a week.

Mental Impairments Linked to Toxins

Yesterday I found this very informative sight, Institute for Children's Environmental Health . I am of the opinion that our children are 'the canary in the cave' so to speak for our environment today. The rise in neurodevelopmental issues is unprecedented. One in six children today have a neurodevelopmental disorder! Most of the children I see probably have recieved some environmental insult to their neurological system at some time in their short past. IM helps with the recovery of these affected neuropathways, but are there ways to prevent the issues in the first place!

With a grandchild on the way, I've been reading the latest in environmental safety and health. This up to date site covers almost all of the topics of concern. Parents, especially expectant parents and parents of young children, should check it out. We all should since these toxins are implicated in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, asthma, and cancer. As a society, we removed lead from gasoline years ago when we discovered how harmful it was. Today we can change the world again.

Why do some children blame?

"Sensory integration and sensory processing problems distort perceptions."" Pg 247 of Patricia Stacey's book, the boy who loved windows. Read more on the previous posts.

I agree. Sensory processing issues including timing issues often correlate with altered perceptions. Many children with poor timing tend to blame, a form of denying ownership. Post IM I almost always hear of some gain in the child's ability to take ownership. "He said he was sorry." "She said it was her fault, etc." In my experience, there seems to be a direct connection between timing and ownership. These children actually experience the world so differently, perceive so differently, that their reality is distorted. You and I may be able to clearly see the connections; they cannot. In truth, we all perceive the world differently, because all of our sensory systems are different. But with poor timing, this can become problematic.

In house, a common timing issue that a child might have is to clap consistently about 100 ms too soon. He will even tell me with wholehearted sincerity, "I think the computer is wrong. I am clapping right on the beat and it says I'm too fast." He blames the computer for his error. He perceives the world his way! Even adults will tell me this in house. --It's one of the behaviors I find comical. I tell them to remember what that feels like, because in just a couple of days, they won't think the computer is wrong any longer. But, at first--in the reality they live in at that time--the computer is wrong!

Imagine a child with impulse to be early (a timing issue) on the baseball field. He's poised and ready to hit the ball. He's impulsive by nature and his swing is 100 milliseconds (ms) too fast. He wouldn't swing too fast if he believed the swing was going to be 'too fast'. He swings too fast because that's where he believes the ball actually will be at that moment in time. Typically, children do try to hit the ball!

This is how his day may go: The boy swings at the ball. The ball goes foul. The coach says, 'slow down'. Now remember, the boy's perception of time is skewed so when he "slows down", he would have to aim "too late" in his mind to hit the ball. Even when consciously slowing down, he's probably going to swing too fast. If he is able to reject his own perception and slow down, he will have no idea when in that late area he should hit the ball, after all, in his perception the ball is already past him. It will be a shot in the dark for him. Next time he's up to bat, he swings too fast again.

The coach, with a little frustration now, says, "Slow down!" Because the coach's timing is fairly accurate, he perceives real time better. The boy, also flustered from trying his hardest and still failing, responds "It's not me. It's those kids yelling over there." In the boy's perception, he's already tried slowing down, but that didn't work; that wasn't the answer. --What else could it be? He chooses something that makes sense to him. In his past, distractions have caused problems. It makes sense. He doesn't take ownership of his own actions, because his perception is different from yours and mine. He sees the world differently. We often say these children march to their own drumbeat. And they do! Sensory processing issues as well as poor timing can cause altered perception.

Mind and Body Connection

"I was learning the new discoveries of brain development, the very foundations of intelligence. I had... mistakenly believed that the body was somehow inferior to the mind. Using Greenspan's developmental approach, I quickly understood that the brain depends on the body for its breadth of knowledge. By moving through space, we integrate with the world. Movement stimulates brain function. Time and again, Arlene (her son's OT) went straight to the body and its movements to help stimulate the nerve impulses that build mental pathways." This passage from Patricia Stacey's book, the boy who loved windows, describes very well the concept that by impacting the body through IM, you are also impacting the mind. She refers to Dr. Stanley Greenspan's floortime intervention that she used for her son's sensory integration issues. Dr. Stanley Greenspan wrote an article about Rhythm and Timing in the Early Childhood Today magazine a few years ago and discussed what was then some new Interactive Metronome research. Check it out.

Here's a quote from Dr. Greenspan about IM. "The Interactive Metronome provides a long needed and important educational and learning approach to improve a number of critical foundations in the learning process."
Stanley L. Greenspan, MD
leading child psychiatrist

"If you want to improve one system, go in through another," he (Greenspan) said, "If you want Walker (Patricia Stacey's little boy) to learn a word, you must use the body to teach it." "Remember" he said, "it's by moving that we come to understand space. You understand concepts by looking and doing at the same time, not by reading." pg. 214 of the boy who loved windows

Sensory Integration Insights

In a recent book I read, the boy who loved windows, author and mother Patricia Stacey has some great insight into sensory integration issues. With a dedication only a mother can give, Patricia was able to turn around the direction her son Walker was heading, giving hope to those facing autism. I'll share a couple quotes.

Pg 35: "Imagine your sensory world scrambled and unregulated, your auditory intake an incessant rock station--- or worse, mere static--- blasting in your ears. Imagine your kitchen light as bright as a searchlight, boring into your corneas every time you turn it on. Imagine yourself in clothes so irritating that they seem lined with metal scraping brushes. Imaging walking past a woman wearing a spritz of Chanel No. 5 that leaves you disoriented and dizzy. This can be the works of sensory integration dysfunction."
Expressed that way makes me feel sorry for our Brad who at 4 would curl up in a ball and cover his ears during gym class, at 8 could be coaxed into wearing soft clothes only, and for years ate so few mostly carbohydrate foods.

Pg 85:
"If we close our eyes, do we know where our hands lie or move? Our toes? Some individuals don't. I have often wondered what a profound proprioceptive deficit feels like -- a kind of swimming, a floating world, where the self evade itself, like water through a sieve."

"Within the proprioceptive sense there exists a sense of one's relationship to moving bodies-- the particular sense of one body's relationship to another body in space. Thus, the proprioceptive sense determines, in some sense, the negotiation of relationships as well. Arlene explained that Walker was spending so much time trying to figure our where he was-- a sense that come to us through the joints and muscles--- that he couldn't quite know where we were."
This could very likely be the explanation for Brad's lack of interest in relating to his peers as a child. His brain was too full simply taking care of his own relationship to the world in time and space, how could he focus on others?! IM helped him define his own body with in time and space. Immediately, he began being able to connect with others! Pre IM he labels his life as social-less. Post IM his social life began.

"Sensory described what came into the organism. Motor described what came out. They were the alpha and omega of the nervous system, and nearly every letter in between.Quite simply, taken together, they represent most of what the brain did." pg 214

We have sensory processing issues at times, too. "When the average person is ill, the brain and sensory system, absorbed with healing itself and managing pain, has difficulty tolerating 'normal' amounts of stimulation. The body and neurological system are already overloaded by the illness and like a computer given too much information to process too quickly, need to shut down some systems. This is why people who are extremely nauseated, for instance, can't stand to be touched. When we're sick, we often experience bright lights as painful. Sensory integration and sensory processing problems distort perceptions." Pg 247 of Patricia Stacey's book, the boy who loved windows.

Page 216 has an amazing description of the body in time and space, too long to post. Our public library has this book and you can order books online with your library card. Check it out.

FAQ: My doctor doesn't recommend IM?

Last night a mom wrote:
"My Dr. wanted me to ask if you had any students, “clients”, that are willing to talk to me about their child’s success with IM." (Parent of 8 yr old boy)

I passed this email on to a few post IM parents and asked if they cared to respond."

Response 1:
"I have a now 13 year old boy that received IM last year. He has ADHD and is very impulsive and does have a mild form of the tic disorder Tourettes. IM did help him quite a bit. He is overall calmer and more focused. We still use meds but he can carry through several command instructions now that before he would only be able to do one or maybe two. He is better able to "stop" himself and redirect when asked. He still struggles but I truly have seen improvement with him. He also seems A LOT less frustrated. He is a happier child. I think IM helped him see the world in a different light. I am a foster parent and feel this therapy would be VERY beneficial to foster kids as well. It helps their brain "process" easier from what I see from my son anyway. Feel free to give me a call if you'd like. I am hard to catch but my number is XXX_XXXX (Name)
I have an 8 year old daughter that took it last year as well. My mom has said she is more verbal and communicates better. I have noticed she is more willing to read books outloud than before but that is all I have seen on her. I feel this tool is very helpful to kids that have special needs and somewhat helpful to kids that do not struggle as much. I do want to put my daughter through another round since I saw such improvements with my son. My daughter is somewhat uncoordinated and I think this could help her. Lori also directed me to a possible vision processing problem with my daughter. We had that checked out by an eye dr who said she does have some vision difficulties despite 20/20 vision but the next screening is pretty pricey so I have not finished the screening."

Response 2:
"I am the parent of a 17 year old Asperger/OCD/ADHD son. He has difficulty with organization, initiating homework and chores, finishing tasks, and social skills. We were at our wits end with him. We really didn't know what to do. Life was just not clicking for our son.

Then a friend of J-----'s at school recommended IM. We have gone thru 2 rounds of IM with Lori Schmidt. For us, the results have been pretty amazing. He is now initiating most of his homework. I will often walk into his bedroom and find him doing homework!!!!!! Before, we couldn't even find it! I would clean his room and find it stuffed in drawers, the trashcan, etc. He now does his chores without a fight, most of the time. He even volunteers to help his sisters (i.e. last night it was dark and my daughter L---- did not want to take the trashcan to the curb-she is kind of afraid of the dark). J----- did it for her. I didn't ask him to. He is doing kind things for others. The center of the universe is not J----- anymore - at least not as much as it used to be!

His social skills are still a challenge, but they are much more developed than they were even a year ago. He actually had his first girl friend this past year. And he had his first job this past summer. I was beginning to worry that he would even be able to hold a job when he graduated from high school. We have a long way to go, but we are very hopeful for the future."

Response 3:
"Dear Parent of the 8 year old boy,

I would like to tell you about my experience with IM. My daughter participated in it when she was 11 ½ years old. She attended 5 times a week for 3 weeks. We did this so that we could get it done as quickly as possible during the summer. I made an agreement with my daughter that if she did it without complaining then I would not make her work with a math or reading tutor over the summer. After about 4 lessons she told me it was easier to do dance spins on her left foot. (She is a competitive dancer.) I didn’t put too much stock into it at first. Then after she’d had about 10 sessions my dad saw her for the first time in 4 months. He said she didn’t have that “blank” look anymore when he talked to her. I noticed she started talking about things that were more detailed and more important (like telling me she was glad people were starting to care about the environment.) When we’d finished the program I waited a few days and asked her what she thought and she said this, “Well Mom, what I can tell you is this….I think now before I talk.”

Enough said….it was worth every penny! And, as if that wasn’t great enough, she improved on her MAP testing significantly over the summer without any tutoring. Family friends have noted she is more mature. She has better fine motor skills….loves to shuffle cards and was very frustrated by it before. Now she shuffles better than many adults. When she is playing a card game that requires her to keep track of lots of things at once and is based on speed, she can compete now with everyone playing and has even beaten me on more than one occasion. Before IM she needed an adult’s help to get her through it.

I know some of these examples may seem irrelevant. I’m a special educator realize that too often we judge success only on the academic scores. The truth is, IM has helped my daughter become ready to learn and in doing so she’s improving in all areas of her life. The improvements were seen in areas I didn’t even realize were issues until they suddenly were easier and my daughter’s self esteem was booming.

I urge you to give your child an opportunity to benefit from IM. Everyone’s results are unique and it may be that your doctor is basing “improvement” on a very narrow definition.

Best Wishes,
Parent of an 11 ½ year old girl."  

Response 4: A mom of a teen ager asked for some referrals and this is one she was sent. This mom carbon copied me in.

Hello, M------!

I heard from Lori Schmidt that you're considering Interactive Metronome for a teenager.  I'm happy to share my/our experience and to answer any questions you might have.

My daughter, M---- (!), did IM with Lori last summer.  M---- was 16 and an honor student.  She is also frightfully disorganized--seriously messy--and it had reached a point where I thought it could/would really impede her future.  --In jobs, in relationships, etc.  When I told M---- about the program, I thought she'd balk, but she was intrigued.

The program makes a lot of sense to me and as Lori will point out, you can't accurately predict exactly what kind of impact it will have on your child.  One thing I was concerned about was whether or not it would change her so much that she'd have a different personality altogether.  That did NOT happen, thankfully.

M---- loved the therapy.  She was very excited to see her own improvements and Lori's encouragement was amazing.  M---- was always looking for ways her improvement in therapy carried over into life in general.

Truthfully, I didn't see the organizational improvements I'd hoped for, but I would have to say there has been at least some improvement in that area.  She used her "cubbies" at camp for the first time ever.  She's started using her planner at school for the first time ever.  Even though her room still gets pretty messy, she doesn't battle me quite as much about picking up and she seems to complete the job faster than she used to.  She's started taking care of herself a little better...

I think the most notable improvement for M---- has been in mental processing.  This has evidenced itself in a number of ways.  On the lighter side, she was the "drill down" queen at her summer dance camp where she basically won every competition for learning drills the fastest.  She mentioned playing some card game that involved quick thinking.  She was playing better than ever and winning when she never had before.  Those things are fairly trivial and NOT why I sought out IM!  But she's a junior this year and took the PSAT.  This is the year it matters the most (for National Merit standings).  Although she'd done respectfully well last year, it was not even close to range for qualifying as a scholar this year.  But she had a HUGE jump in her scores this year (189 last year, 213 this year).  As a minimum she'll be a commended scholar and her guidance counselor thinks she has a good shot at becoming a scholar.  This is something I never would have expected and I have to think IM played a part in helping her get through the testing with more focus and quicker processing than last year.  And just by the way, M---- just doesn't fit any scholarly stereotypes.  She still has her very random, unconventional, bubbly personality.

I have another daughter who is 3 years older than M----. More our "classic" scholar.  She would love to try IM just to see how it might help her.  I don't know if that will ever happen.  She doesn't struggle so much with organization and grades were never an issue for either of them.

M---- is still messy.  She still procrastinates a lot.  IM didn't erase my concerns.  But I do think it helped and was very worthwhile, and M---- absolutely loved Lori who (by the way) really makes IM work for her people.

Feel free to email me with questions.  I'm in Maryland this week and not checking email with great regularity, but I'll try to watch for any communication from you.

R----

My thoughts as to why Dr's might miss gains:
I like what the third parent said, 'the doctor might be basing improvement on narrow definitions, one of them being getting off meds. Many students do lessen their need for or even get off medications, but some don't.

Doctors also don't see the children enough to notice the changes. You are in their office a whole 10 minutes, maybe. Other parents or teachers would be better choices for references I believe. Many doctors are use to prescribing medications to impact focus. Even the thought of a movement based computer program impacting cognitive functioning is thinking outside the box for a good many of them. I think gradually doctors will be educated about the success of movement based, timing based interventions, but I expect it will take a long time to get there.

I find that even some parents look at just one or two annoying behaviors, and miss some of the more subtle but significant gains, especially if they are busy parents or themselves have lower than average timing. Many dad's are unable to label the specific changes though dad's will often say the child is 'maturing' post IM. I hear this statement very frequently from parents - "I don't know if it's IM or they are just maturing." Constantly! Because you expect a child to mature, sometimes it is hard to tell the difference. But quick maturation is a huge part of what IM does. IM methodically matures the neurological system. As a child ages, their internal timing improves. The whole concept behind IM is the improvement of the child's internal timing, moving their internal timing up a few years, in other words "maturing it". Noticeable 'maturation' is an IM gain.

ADD/ADHD - Autism Connection

For several years now I've been hearing speakers mention that ADD/ADHD is on the Autism spectrum. In the newest book I'm reading, Children with Starving Brains, Dr. Jaquelyn McCandless, states this very clearly. "Autism is a condition often characterized by a failure to bond, lack of social interaction, avoidance of eye-to eye contact, difficulties in language development, and repetitive behaviors. There are associated milder forms of this condition such as Asperger's Syndrome, PDD (Pervasive Developmental Disorder) and ADD/ADHD, or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. These are all known collectively as Autism Spectrum Disorders, or ASDs."

Our son, Brad, was diagnosed with ADD in 5th grade, but I never felt like that 'label' quite fit him. Attention was an issue, yes. But I also saw language delays, sensory integration issues, and the lack of social connectedness. I remember working hard trying to get him to look at me to smile at about 6 months old.

Physically, Brad had a huge head as a toddler. The literature suggests that the only physical marker for autism can be a larger than average head circumference as a toddler. He displayed specialty interests as well, legos and computer were his favorite past times as a youngster. At about 11 years old, he spent an entire summer 'reading' a calculus book. He did score a perfect 36 on the science portion of his ACT a few years later, so maybe some of it sunk in! :)

IM was helpful in almost every one of his deficit areas. Language processing: About half of the way through his IM training, Brad came home and said he felt he could 'throw in an idea' during the lunch time conversation. Before it was as if the other students would have moved on to another topic before he had processed the information enough to enter the conversation. By the end of IM, Brad and I were having real dialogues, not just monologues or question and short answer sessions. His language processing gained phenomenally.

Social skills - Brad calls IM the beginning of his social life. He calls pre IM his social-less time of his life. When asked he will say the social gains of IM were his largest area of gain.

Fine motor - though I hear many times from teachers that handwriting improved with IM, that did not happen for Brad. Actually, the spatial awareness improved - he began writing on the line rather than slightly above it, but his handwriting could still use A LOT of tweaking. Today's world offers computers!

Sensory integration issues - Brad still does not enjoy loud places, but he can put up with them now without needing to escape or possibly melting down. As a child he would curl on in a ball on the gym floor occasionally with his hands over his ears. Now I know that behavior was actually a red flag. His diet has GREATLY improved post IM as he is more willing to try new foods. Some of that is age, but at 17, he had an extremely limited diet. Brad did IM at 17 and 1/2. By age 18, I was turning my head at all the foods he began eating that he wouldn't have ever tried pre IM. Tight clothes bothered him A LOT as a younger child. He wouldn't even wear a pair of jeans until 5th grade. Sweat pants were the only option. By 17, clothes were no longer an issue so it's hard to say if there was improvement there - though there probably was. His tolerance level for everything was extremely low pre IM with several overloads/meltdowns a day, coming out as frustration or tears often. Post IM Brad could handle a typical day with typical sensory information very typically - pretty nice huh!

Attention and focus - Brad stopped taking his ADD meds post IM and did well getting all his homework assignments not only done but turned in post IM. Not everyone gets off meds, but some do, our Brad was one of them.

ADHD: A massive problem with the sense of time!

A must see! If you have a child with attention issues, you should watch this presentation by Dr. Russell Barkley, a distinguished lecturer from the University of California’s MIND Institute. Research indicates that children with ADHD have difficulties in the executive systems, particularly the non verbal working memory. “The non verbal working memory is the origin of the sense of time, the subjective awareness of time. Which explains why ADHD so disrupts the individual's ability to deal with time. Why they are always late, never prepared, never organized.”

Dr. Barkley continues, “ADHD is a form of time blindness. ADHD children have a near sightedness to the future. Future events have to be immediate and compelling before the individual is capable of dealing with them. Events that lie at a distance across time are of no value to these children. They can’t muster anticipatory responses and prepare for future events. To put it in another way, the ADHD individual lives in the now, and past and future are of little consequence in the regulation of their behavior.’ He calls this deficit in the non verbal working memory, Temporal Neglect Syndrome ("Temporal" is often used for "timing" in scientific articles.).

“My theory of ADHD is that ADHD causes a massive problem with the human sense of time.” Dr. Russell Barkley.

In this presentation, Dr. Barkley speaks of 5 different executive functions that seem to be deficient in ADHD. Please check out the Data Spreadsheet posted this past summer showing gains in executive functioning across the board.

IM and Sports

Notre Dame Football Team uses Interactive Metronome®. This is an older media clip that I just found.

ADHD and Timing

This study , published in April of 2008, is research looking at how children with ADHD are motivated. The task they were given involved time estimation. These children tended to have more variability in their time estimations. The article suggested poor time estimation might be a deficit in ADHD.

Quote: "Children were required to estimate a 1-s* interval. Children with ADHD underestimated more severely the interval and responded more variably than controls. The study suggests that children with ADHD suffer from motivation problems when reinforcement was not available. Underestimations of time may reflect more stable deficits in ADHD."

* second

Our Son, Brad

Our son, Brad. Awesome personality, significant, valuable, an important member of society, smart, creative. Loves to sing and take things apart, studied a trig book for hours in the 5th grade...

But pre-IM he couldn't turn in a homework assignment if it bit him on the nose! And it looked like a bomb exploded in his desk. Daily. We had years of testing, but the most therapy he ever qualified for was 6 months of speech. He was a child falling through the cracks. We often noted that he marched to the beat of his own drum.

After thousands of dollars spent on counseling, medications and tutoring, IM was the key that changed his life. All other interventions fell by the wayside. He is our miracle child, though hardly a child anymore. He went through IM at age 17! The sooner the better, but it's never too late!

I wish Brad could have had IM at age 8. The hardships ahead were evident by that time. But I hadn't heard of it then, nor was it available. With Brad, I discovered that children do not outgrow true learning difficulties. Instead, the gap was increasing. Changing his life course meant finding the right tool. For Brad, that tool was IM.

Brad is now a 23 year old grad school student studying Occupational Therapy in Kansas City. He knows I talk about him all the time. He's cool with that. I talk about him because other parents--who are where I was 10 years ago--frequently tell me Brad's story gives them hope. Besides. I just like talking about him! I'm his mom.

B Vitamins may be Important for Spatial Learning and Memory

I have recently become an avid viewer of a huge resource of professionals talking about diet and wellness for children with neurological issues, particularly autism, on the Dan Website. This recent article, published in August 2008, supports many of the concepts the Dan speakers address. Quote, "..a diet deficient in folate and vitamins B12 and B6 demonstrated significant deficits in spatial learning and memory..." I am not in the medical profession, and IM is my personal passion, but I think parents interested in helping their children should also look at diet and exercise and (to be politically correct!) discuss this with your doctor.

IM is a movement oriented program. Through exercise, we change the brain. It seems strange to the newbie that clapping your hands and tapping your feet can actually increase your ability to read by grade levels! But it can! There is undeniably a connection between the physical and the mental!

In terms of diet, I can frequently tell when a young person has skipped a meal by their inability to replicate their previous best performance no matter how hard they try. With a nutritious snack in house, their scores can almost immediately improve. It's a great opportunity for them to see clearly that diet impacts mental processing. Don't skip breakfast before the big test!

Basal Ganglia and OCD/Tourette's

I see a significant number of students with OCD or Tourette's. This article links PANDAS, a recently discovered neurological disorder due to strep infections, to a part of the brain called the basal ganglia. This is a quote from the page about PANDAS at the NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health): "The children usually have dramatic, "overnight" onset of symptoms, including motor or vocal tics, obsessions, and/or compulsions. This abrupt onset is generally preceeded by a Strep throat infection. One part of the brain that is affected in PANDAS is the basal ganglia"

Dr. Neil Alpiner's paper showing MRI's of IM trained individuals showed that the basal ganglia is one of the areas that IM seems to impact. Maybe that is the reason that we sometimes see a lessening of OCD bahavior or tics with IM training. Whether or not PANDAS is the cause of the tics may not be as important as the fact that the part of the brain where the tics seem to originate may be stimulated through IM training, "healing" the injury somewhat.

FAQ: Is IM covered by Insurance?

IM is covered by insurance if your child qualifies for occupational or speech therapy. The Capper Foundation here in Topeka, Kansas, has occupational therapists that are IM certified. Please check them out if you have a child with a significant diagnosis.

I am an educator with a special education/early childhood background. The child I typically see is the child that falls through the cracks. The medical field knows IM works for learning struggles as is evidenced by its growing popularity for the special needs child as well as stroke and traumatic brain injury patients. In 2003, Kansas had 3 IM providers; today, 2008, nearly 40. Most of them serve the insurance covered population. The sad fact is that a huge number of our children could benefit from IM, but don't qualify for insurance coverage. I am here for that parent and child.

The average parent would be challenged to afford the cost of IM through an OT with out insurance. That challenge is significantly reduced by offering IM in groups, while still individualizing tasks for students. Most children over 8 yrs old and in a regular classroom setting can do IM in groups. The students often enjoy the camaraderie of others working along side them. I also offer parent/child teams for the child with more severe needs or the younger child. My goal is to make IM affordable to the masses of those who don't qualify for insurance. Through group mode training, costs can be cut in half or more. Some flexible spending plans are now beginning to cover IM too. Most parents find IM very affordable with three small monthly payments.

Data Speaks through Another IM Provider

Dr. Z offers Interactive Metronome® and has posted several testimonials from his clients. Read the comments and note how people all over are seeing the same typical gains with IM that I am seeing; reading gains, initiation, attention and focus. Gains become fairly predictable when you've seen enough people through the program. We may not know exactly how IM works, but we can tell you what it does! Check it out.

Dr. Z's Webpage

Prefrontal Cortex Important for Changing Rules/Memory

Quotes from the article:
"Rules that people must actively remember are controlled primarily through the prefrontal cortex."

"...obsessive-compulsive disorder and attention deficit disorder, (are) conditions in which a person's ability to remember and change such rules is impaired."

The prefrontal cortex seems to be a significant area in attention issues. See the complete article. How Memory Deals with a Change in Plans

TIming and Learning Disabilities

Learning Disabilities and Timing Article: A quote, "Abnormal brainstem timing may serve as a reliable marker of a subgroup of individuals with learning disabilities. ....faulty mechanisms of neural timing at the brainstem may be the biological basis of malfunction in this group." Read the whole article. Brainstem timing and literacy.

Left Hemisphere versus Right Hemisphere

If you are interested in a great video from a brain scientist about the functions of the left and right hemisphere, this video is awesome. Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor experienced a stroke, leaving only one hemisphere in tack. She shares how her brain worked differently and how fascinating that was for her as a brain scientist. Very uplifting and powerful. Stroke of Insight

Left Hemisphere Neglect

Occasionally I see clients that tend to "neglect" the left side of their paper during the visual processing pretest. They don't see or circle pairs on the left side of the paper nearly as frequently as they do on the right. This may indicate a weakness in the right hemisphere of the brain. In training children with this pretest behavior, I usually choose to target tasks with the left hand or left foot as the student becomes able to handle the challenge. I just found an article that said, "...left hand movements produced a significant reduction in the severity of neglect only when these movements were made on the left side of space." This seems to suggest simple left handed/footed tasks. Sometimes I add crossing midline with the left hand, adding movement of the left hand in the right hemisphere space. Though this path is important, I'm not sure that it's indicated for left hemisphere neglect. See article abstract.

Left Hemisphere Neglect Article

Another IM Blogger

You may be interested in what another IM provider is blogging about. Check it out here.

OT, Self Regulation and Autism

FAQ: What does Parent/Child Team IM look like?

How do I provide IM to the younger client (8 years and under) while keeping costs down. In the past I saw the younger child one on one only, but that is more costly for parents. Group modes make IM much more affordable, but younger children can not work independently enough to succeed in a group format.

This is how I'm solving the problem.

The child and the parent become a team. Together they try to reach various IM goals that I give them. In actuality, it's the parent that's learning the IM program and the child is going along for the ride! I've used this hand-over-hand approach for as young 3 years (other providers for as young as 18 months) with great results. An added benefit is that the parents gain from the IM program, too. Parents need to be close to average in their own timing to qualify for this format.

As the child develops a sense of rhythm and moves towards independence, the parent falls away gradually, leaving the child doing IM on their own. Kindergartners through 2nd graders usually work in this format. Kindergartners seldom become totally independent in 15 sessions; 2nd graders often become independent about half-way through. Children with significant auditory, sensory or timing issues often need some synchronization (hand over hand) training even as old as 10 or 11 years.

I provide parents with a full line of specific coaching goals to help you along. You may still be concerned that your child and you have too much history - a very valid concern. In reality, the biggest challenge to this format of IM is that about half of the children don't actually work well for their own parents. Therefore, at the first sign of frustration (from you or the child), I swap parents. You may actually end up working with another child while another parent works with yours. I have found this very effective and works for most children.

Feedback from a first grader's mom the first time I tried this has encouraged me to keep fine tuning this format. She was so pleased with the gains her son had made! And keeping the cost down by working in a group mode had helped them afford the program. She urged me to keep offering IM in parent-child teams, so I have. Parents, what you say does have power. Speak your mind!

Note: If the parent needs to take off work to do IM, the monetary savings may not be as great. Individual mode may be just as good of an option, though I think parents enjoy the program and challenge as much as the children in groups.

Note 2:  Sometimes mom or dad could benefit from IM too :) One mom recently shared not just how much she was enjoying the gains her son had made, but that her husband (doing hand over hand with the son) now was picking up more after himself - something she was thrilled about. :)  

Data Speaks - School 1 Spring 2008

Below is a link to another group of students in a school setting. Students were all trained in group mode format. The younger students had their parents with them the first week or so. This spreadsheet includes what the children say, what parents say and what teachers say. Hear how others express gains from IM training in initiation, attention, frustration level, completion of tasks, etc. Check it out. 2008 School 1

Note: You will notice some children have a lot of notes, others less. This varies according to different children/parents and teachers. How comfortable are they, how self aware they are, how often I see the parents or teachers, etc. I think children gain in different areas and at different levels but overall it seems they gain an average of 10 - 15% in the 15 sessions. If that means every day of IM brings a child's mental processing up about 1%, that's huge! When a child misses a day, I try very hard to try to make it up. Every session is important!

IM Parent Letter - Data Speaks

A letter I received today. Back ground: This mom had two children go through IM with me last summer. The young boy was falling behind in school and struggling - he's timing began in the poor range, ended more average. Some more IM is planned for him. The sister went through IM at the same time because 'IM is good for everybody', her beginning score was more average and she moved up to the superior/elite range. Here's the note:


Just a quick thank you. As you said-IM is not a fix all but it really has made a difference in our lives. (Middle school girl) made honor roll the entire year last year (because she did it not her MOM :) ) She is very organized. Completes tasks on time. She was the most consistent hitter in softball. She has done just great!

(Upper grade school boy) has done better but obviously still needs work. He could hit the ball better but still struggles a little bit with timing and with completing tasks. He still gets distracted very easily. Will let you know how that goes.

Book: Delivered from Distraction

Dr. Edward Hallowell's 2006 book, Delivered from Distraction, has some great quotes about cerebellar stimulation - Interactive Metronome, the Dore Method and Brain Gym being the three types of cerebellar simulation he mentions.

These quotes are from Chap 29: Cerebellar Stimulation

"Cerebellar stimulation is a treatment that might help you or your child profoundly, perhaps getting to the root of the problem instead of treating the symptoms". p239

He also shares his own personal story about his son Jack. Jack hated to read! In 2003, after he and his wife had taken the steps that should have solved Jack's problems, they found themselves asking what else could they do. Remember, Dr. Hallowell is an EXPERT - I read his book in the 90's when my son was struggling. He knows the best practices for children who struggle, writes books about them! His quote, that I totally can relate to, "A parent just wants to find help for her child. The more I listened to parents, the more I was roaming outside the usual boundaries of child psychiatry in my search for help for Jack." p230

In time Dr. Hallowell tried cerebellar stimulation for Jack, the Dore Method mentioned above. His son Jack went from hating to read to loving to read, a very common gain I see with IM. "I was elated that we had found a treatment that worked." p232 Another quote, "The cerebellar exercises were able to help in a way that no other intervention had." p.233

The progression of his thoughts: "The whole idea of gaining access to emotion and cognition through physical movement seemed strange to me at first, but the more I learned about it, the more sense it made." p233 He quoted Scientific American stating "The cerebellum may play an important role in short-term memory, attention, impulse control, emotion, higher cognition, the ability to schedule and plan tasks and possibly even in conditions such as schizophrenia and autism." Look at my data speaks graphs - through my experience,those are exactly the tasks that parents notice gains in after IM training!

He ended the chapter, "Whenever I see my son Jack happily reading a book, I feel glad I gave this treatment I had never heard of a chance." p 239

The future of cerebellar interventions: "I felt frustrated knowing how long it will take to produce the studies we need. I had read enough and learned enough and seen enough to recommend that people give it a try." p235 All the research will take years, but I think, and Dr. Hallowell thinks we are on to something good!

Thank you Dr. Edward Hallowell for sharing your own story of success and looking outside the box!

FAQ: What do the IM Millisecond (ms) Scores Mean?

IM tasks are measured in average milliseconds away from the beat. A student is asked to move their body to a slow rhythmic beat, usually 54 beats per minute. The computer measures exactly when the student actually makes the move compared to when their ears actually heard the target sound. The difference is measured in milliseconds - 1000 ms per second - and displayed on the computer. Averaging all the hits together will give a ms average for that task. Generally I have discovered that with different averages, students display different emotions and thoughts. Here's a picture of what I see in terms of IM performance:

100 ms or larger - Students often loose the beat and can not figure out how to get back into the rhythm. They often require what's called hand over hand help. The IM provider will help them find the beat.

60 ms - 100 ms - Student begins to be able to do task independently, but when they lose the beat they may require help to refind it. 60 ms can be quite frustrating for some. 60 ms is right in the middle of the average range for adults who are not IM trained so it is very common..... but when you are actually scoring a 60 ms, you feel 'off'. The computer gives you such direct, quality feedback, that you can definitely see 60 ms is not 'on the beat.' But... because gains are often made fairly quickly from when the individual becomes independent to 30 ms, students often feel a great sense of accomplishment during this part of training.

30 ms - Student are now just beginning to feel some confidence that they can do it. Plateaus frequently happen here. The younger child, under 9 years or so, may end here, though some young students are able to make it into the 20's or even teens.

20 ms - Here is when a student begins to have internal confidence. They trust in their ability to be successful and this often generalizes into the world outside of IM. IM become self rewarding, external motivators are no longer needed. My goal is to get as many tasks as possible under the 20 ms mark. When a student reaches 20 ms, they often experience a huge amount of functional gains.

15 ms - Students that score here enter an almost meditative state, extreme focus in a relaxed, yet highly motivated mental state. You simply can not reach this level with out three key factors - focus, motivation, and relaxation. You are 'in the zone' so to speak. There is a major difference between 15ms and 25ms though it's only 1/100th of a second difference. Those who have gone from 25ms down to 15ms definitely express that the peaceful, relaxed, focused state of 15ms is worth the effort! 15 ms is FUN!

FAQ: What are 'squirrellies' during IM Training

My child can't seem to focus on days that he's done IM, is that typical?

A certain percentage of children respond to IM training in a way that's seems just the opposite of what you are hoping to see, at first at least. Some children cry easily, or bounce off the wall, or nap all afternoon. They can not focus for the life of them, and you are doing IM to IMPROVE focus!

OCD and the Lateral Orbital Frontal Cortex

I just ran across an article that links OCD to a specific brain region. I continuously read information such as this in hopes of some day connecting the dots enough to understand specific IM tasks that could target specific issues. This looks like a good forum to gather the information. Here's the article: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=40105

Data Speaks from Spring 2008

I have just moved another spread sheet into published format. These 11 students were trained in a school settings in groups of 3 or 4 grade matched students. For academic gains, students trained during the school year are a better resource of information. During the summer I receive more sports related gains (See last weeks post: Data Speaks. Gains in reading, math, and visual processing testing are similar though. Check out what parents and students said this spring.

School 2 Data - Spring 2008

Description of IM Formats Used

In the Data Spread Sheets located in the right column of this blog, you will find several published mega data sheets of gains for real IM clients that have attended IM Focused. I need to explain some of the information given in these sheets. Basically you can see the age, sex and diagnosis of the client. Look for children similar to your child's situation and then read about what gains these students saw through IM Training. Comments are from parents, students, or myself. Some have been shortened to fit into the space better. In the 'Format' sections, I mark the type of training the child went through -Sync/  Basic/ CC / Visual / or Advanced usually, sometimes it's a mix of two formats. These are general discriptions of each format used. 

1. Sync -(For child beginnig in poor timing range)  Synchronization mode is for students who average over 100 ms away from the beat and the younger child. It requires hand over hand direction to help the student find the beat and is usually done one on one. In group modes, the parents sometimes can aid in sync training. For the population that I see, students are usually only in sync for one to 5 days. Five year olds or younger are usually in sync most of the first 15 sessions, though by the end even these younger students often have some level of independence. Many only complete the first 6 basic IM tasks, as well as some specific sync tasks that are more age appropriate. 

2. Basic IM-(for child beginning in below ave to above average timing range.)  Basic training is used in most all IM research and includes the 13 traditional tasks that all IM providers learn and can discuss easily. I will usually show these tasks on my videos as I post them. 

3. Core Conditioning -(After basic training goals are met and child is in above average to superior timing range) This format includes a lot of crossing mid line, balance tasks, trunk rotation, and bilateral integration. The goal is to help the two hemispheres of the brain communicate with one another and build core strength/stability. I usually follow basic training with core conditioning. I have had excellent academic results with this format and highly recommend it to anyone who is still struggling after basic training! Usually children gain just as much in core conditioning as they did in basic. IM seems to be cumulative in nature, the more you do the more you gain. 

4. Visual Processing Mode - (For child with visual processing issues, after basic training) These tasks involve shutting off the traditional guide sounds and using the visual feedback. I also incorporate some visual tracking, visual scanning, visual memory, laterality tasks and more. You can read the book by Dr. Lane on my shelf to get a better idea of the tasks used here. 

5. Advanced Mode -(For child in superior or elite timing range)  These tasks encompass multitasking, working memory, large sequencing tasks ...... the kitchen sink. Tasks are geared for those who have mastered basic and core conditioning IM and are developmentally ready for the challenge. Children that begin in Sync do not get here with out ALOT of IM. Occasionally I have a student that begins IM in the superior range though and are already scoring most tasks below 40 ms. These are usually neuro typical siblings of previous students I've seen. The parents understand that like vitamins and exercise, IM is good for everyone and puts their high achieving child through IM too. These neuro-typical children can sometime complete basic training in less than a week, core conditioning the next week and move into visual or advance mode the final week. They gain just as much as their siblings did and in the same areas -executive functioning, focus, sports, and academics. They just started at a higher level, reached a higher level and progressed extremely quickly. Choosing the 'just right' challenge level is the key, challenging the child to work hard, but not so hard as to overload them. 

Because I am NOT under the insurance umbrella, I am blessed to have the opportunity to work with this neuro-typical populations. I learn from these children! If all I saw was the child with struggles, I might think that these awkward looking movements are made by every child... they are not!  It is my goal to get your child to look as neuro-typical as I can, because then they act and learn as neurotypical as they can! 

If you notice from the data spreadsheets, I do not keep a student in just one format. If they are ready, I move them along the program according to their individual needs and skill level. Group mode IM helps keep the cost down for you, but is still individualized for your child! The best of both worlds.

Data Speaks

I've been working diligently at Google Docs lately to create a spreadsheet of data compiled from recent IM clients. I am going to attempt to publish the information here. This is just the beginning of a mega data base I hope to come. Enjoy!

http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=ppsfiZ2zbRdf7Xy-tg7NjZA&hl=en

UC Davis MIND Institute

I highly recommend this site for anyone struggling with their child's development. Dr. Temple Grandin's presentations are fascinating. She is a professor at the University of Colorado and is autistic. People with disabilities can be successful. Visit http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/events/recorded_events.html

Parent Input

I have just sent a link to this site to my present IM parents. Parents, I want you to post comments on this site especially on the Data Speaks Spread sheets about your child's IM training. I would like to ask you to keep all information confidential. You may share age, sex, struggles, and definitely IM changes that you have seen, but no names of your children please. Think about what information would have been helpful for you to know and share that with others. Thank you so much. I will work on a way to organize your comments but in the meantime, just make random posts if you want. Thanks, Lori

Is EF the New IQ?

What a very cool article Newsweek published on executive functioning. EF is an area that I believe IM impacts so dramatically that it can change the course of lives, more so than academics even. Once I get my spread sheet up and going, look at the areas of interest that I have,initiation, impulse control,attention, many would fall under the EF processes. Here's the article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/139885

Blogging - A New Beginning

Why this Blog? I am going to attempt to 'publish' informally as much as I can about the variety of gains seen with Interactive Metronome ® (IM). Every day children and adults tell me stories of how IM impacts initiation, awareness, confidence, relationships, grades, and functional reading. I am hoping this site will help parents decide whether IM is right for their child or not. No, it's not scientific, but yes, it is a huge collection of IM experiences. (soon I hope)

Why me and my business? As an educator doing IM in group modes, I see a lot of individuals for a lot of different reasons. And... I take WAY TOO MANY notes! When a child leaves from 3 weeks of training with me, I have a file about 15 pages thick on them! I might as well share what I learn.

How is information gathered and shared? All the posts to come will be kept anonymous, of course! But I will try to paint a clear of a picture including the child's age, sex, diagnosis if any, beginning scores, ending scores, gains seen and most importantly, comments heard! I write down quotes from individuals on a daily or weekly basis, starting many days with the question, "Have you noticed anything different?" I work hard to give open ended questions. IE, if the child says, 'You're wearing a blue shirt' I might say, "Yes, and how about changes in yourself? Is there anything that's happened in the last day or two with you that seemed different?" I get very predictable responses... after I hear the same comment enough times, I am pretty confident IM is the reason for the gain. Some children will say some thing too general, ie, "I'm reading better." I'll seek more information by saying, "How are you seeing that, How can you tell?" and that's how I get the second half of the comment, usually an "I read 2 chapters last night, I usually don't get that much done."(speed) or " The words are easier, I know them." (Accruacy) Or "I got a 100% on my AR test yesterday."(Comprehension)

Am I an expert? Funny! (Wish I was but my brain is just not that big.) I am an educator, special education degree with a lot of reg ed experience, turned IM provider in 2002. Here's my take on this blog. I am not an expert, but I am very dedicated to the IM program and learning about how it impacts the brain. I read the lastest on dyslexia, autism, OCD, and other neuro- developmental disorders continuously. I read not just books but research. Does that mean what I say on this blog is fact and set in stone. Far from it. It's my best educated guess. I try to interpret to the best of my ability and share it with you. Take what you find helpful, throw away the rest. My ideas will probably change as new information becomes available anyway. Enjoy! Lori