Changing concepts in childhood discipline

Good presentation on discipline. What's the difference between tantrum and misbehavior, ideas to try, concepts to think about. Click here.  Not an IM post, but helpful.

Dyslexia - more than phonology

Traditionally, dyslexia is thought to be a phonological deficit in the brain. This is absolutely true in many cases, but recent research has shown there are other ways you can become a poor reader.

OCD thought to be connected with Basal Ganglia dysfunction.

This Study showed individuals with OCD had 'soft signs' of the illness. These are subtle physical differences, not just 'mental' differences from the typical population. Dysfunction is the basal ganglia part of the brain is thought to play a role in OCD,. This theory is supported by the soft signs found. Under fMRI, the basal ganglia is one of the brain regions that lights up with IM training. IM exercises the basal ganglia, maybe that's why we frequently see improvement with OCD symptoms after IM training.

List of Self Help Books

I just ran across this list of self help books. I recognized several authors that I value, though many of the individuals I do not know. I'm just sharing the list as it might be a resource worth checking out.

"I didn't know I could be this happy!"

Words from one of my students today - "I didn't know I could be this happy!"

DPT vaccine and Dravet syndrome (siezures) research

I support all information that we can use to help PREVENT children from ever needing my services!!  There is a reason, probably many, that our children are experiencing an epidemic of neuro-developemental learning issues today.  Here's an interesting link.

Integrated Listening Systems Videos.

A new program I'm offering for those kiddos that avoid or meltdown when approaching undesired tasks is this iLs program. It's excellent. Watch this clip.

SafeMinds - Keeping our children's brains healthy

Here are two great resources of information on how to help our children and the next generation regain healthy brains. You can read an entire book on line here. Just click, down load full report on the link, or read some basics here.
SafeMinds - Autism Mercury Thimerosal - Mercury - Key Lessons Learned

iLs news

Great News - About a month ago, I became certified in another technologically advanced, brain training program that has good prospects for helping children succeed.

Brad's Insight - The GRRR feeling during meltdowns

Personal story.  People that know me know that I started this business because Interactive Metronome helped my own son tremendously. After years of searching for answers, IM was his answer. People also know I love to tell Brad stories, he's a miracle child (young adult now but I'm the mom so he will always be my child) and his story brings others great hope. IM parents who just happen to meet him love seeing the potential ahead for their own child.

Brushing and Joint Compression

IM trains the brain with in time and space, but a few of the students that I see have sensory systems that can slow IM training down if not addressed. In house I will do a variety of activities to help calm excited sensory systems in order to move forward with our training. Brushing with joint compression is one that I will share with you here.

Early signs of developmental delays

Dr. Keiser discusses early signs of neurodevelopmental delays. He talks about what conditions are all part of this  syndrome having to do with connectivity problems in the brain. Short and informative.

Infant Reflex - ATNR

When a student comes into IM for the very first time, I can frequently and quickly (with in minutes of structured movement) identify immature movement patterns. Instead of making circles as I patterned for them, they either flatten the circles, make arches, or go entirely backwards. These students usually are still under the power of their ATNR, an infant reflex that should have be integrated by about 9 months old.  When a child is under the control of retained infant reflexes, they are continuously having to process their body in space with their conscious mind, their cerebrum or neocortex.  When you are using your intellectual part of your brain to prevent you from falling out of your chair, you can not hear what the teacher is saying. "I didn't hear her" the student reports. How many parents or teachers have heard that phrase about some missing piece of homework. Maybe it's not just an excuse, maybe it's real! Maybe this child actually did not hear the assignment, and it wasn't because they were talking to a neighbor but because they were trying to sit still.  I believe children are trying their very best, at least they begin that way. IM helps to quickly and accurately automatize body in space processing. This develops subconscious control over these body in space issues, helping children to free up their cortex to actually learn.

For neurons to work as a team, it helps to have a beat

Berkley has published some very interesting research showing that rhythm throughout the brain may be as important as rhythm within individual areas of the brain. IM trains the brain rhythmically, each task synchronizing different areas of the brain.  Here's the article.

One analogy that this paper uses is: "It is like the radio communication between emergency first responders at an earthquake," Canolty said. "You have many people spread out over a large area, and the police need to be able to talk to each other on the radio to coordinate their action without interfering with the firefighters, and the firefighters need to be able to communicate without disrupting the EMTs. So each group tunes into and uses a different radio frequency, providing each group with an independent channel of communication despite the fact that they are spatially spread out and overlapping."

Training helps reduce the gender gap in spatial ability.

A training program that focused on expanding working memory, perceiving spatial information from a holistic point of view rather than based on particular details, and thinking about spatial geometric pictures from different points of view helped first grader girls close the gender gap in their ability to process spatial information. Read more here.  One of the goals in advanced IM training is to expand the working memory. 

Yoga For Kids

Parents often ask me what they can do at home to help their struggling child succeed. I don't think you can replicate the quality of impact or the fast changes that occur with IM training without the computerized feedback system, but that is not to underestimate the power of dedicated home bound interventions. There are things that you can do that are very helpful with dedication and knowledge. One of them is yoga for kids. It is good for everyone but especially children with these issues:
Body in space issues
Low muscle tone
Focus issues
Balance challenges
Inhibition weaknesses (impulsive)

Amazingly low IM Scores

The scores you make on IM are huge indicators of your basic mental functioning, but they fall short in telling the whole picture. Yes, if a child comes in averaging over 100 ms, I know this child is working far harder than they need to in this world. Basic timing is a huge issue. But on the other end of the spectrum, some students can have AMAZINGLY low numbers and can still be lacking in some very basic mental processes. More IM can lead to significant mental processes still coming on line. The numbers don't tell the entire picture.

Brain Balance

Dr. Melillo has recently published an excellent book called Disconnected Kids.  His website  has a couple of wonderful videos on the right side of his website. I strongly encourage parents to make an effort to watch the second one, Dr. Melillo on Everyday with Marcus and Lisa.  Dr. Melillo covers key aspects of brain imbalance on this video.  As you watch the first video, KCAL9 Features Brain Balance,  you will notice that part of the brain balance program seems to implement Interactive Metronome.  At IM Focused, brain balance has for years been a focus of  IM training in addition to connecting various pathways and improving the timing and synchrony of the neuronal activity in each pathway.

Biomedical Approaches to ADD, ADHD and Autism

I just put together a list of some of the resources that I have heard excellent reports about concerning biomedical interventions that are helpful for attention/focus/and autism for a family. I'll share it here. 

ATNR Activities

ATNR - Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex

Recently I have been seeing this retained infant reflex in many of my IM students. I consider Sally Goodard  the leader in the world on retained reflexes and learning. Here is a very informative interview she has recently given  and her website where you can order her books.

Extra Days of IM

On occasion, I'll offer to do a couple of extra sessions for an individual or child.  Some break points are better than others in my opinion.  

Toxin Free School Supplies

As you prepare for school this year, consider providing your child with safer school supplies.

 "Your child’s innocent-looking lunch box or binder could contain chemicals linked to learning disabilities, obesity, asthma, and even cancer. That’s because many school supplies are manufactured using the poison plastic: polyvinyl chloride (PVC). This plastic can contain a toxic stew of phthalates, lead, cadmium, and organotins. To the developing body of a child, even a small exposure to these toxicants can be dangerous.

What can you do to protect your child from this bully? Start by downloading CHEJ’s 3rd annual Back-to-School Guide to PVC-Free School Supplies"   - copied from this Healthy Child link 

Schools and IM

"School districts across the U.S. struggle with the combination of two harsh realities: an increasing intensity of budget cuts for 2010-11, and complying with the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Dyslexia - left hemisphere connectivity issue

"Vanderbilt University researchers Sheryl Rimrodt and Laurie Cutting and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University and Kennedy Krieger Institute used an emerging MRI technique, called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to discover evidence linking dyslexia to structural differences in an important bundle of white matter in the left-hemisphere language network.

Pesticides linked to ADHD

 A report, published in the June 2010 issue of Pediatrics, suggests that the use of organophosphates, pesticides found on many of our fruit and vegetables, could be related to rising rates of ADHD.  Many experts suggest choosing organic or locally grown foods for those items known to have the highest levels of contamination. Read more here.  

Those Darn Inflexible Kids

Students with neurological dysfunction have 7 common symptoms.

• Impulsive- the inability to put a thought barrier between an thought and an action
• Explosive
• Inflexible
• Immature for chronological age
• Disorganized
• Performance inconsistencies
• Clueless - meaning they don't pick up clues/nonverbal communication that others do.

The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library has a DVD put out by the Joshua Center in Kansas City called Those Darn Inflexible Kids.  At one point the idea is presented that we need to understand these students have a neurological basis for their behavior and change the environment, not the child - accept the child. I agree, we expect these students to be like other children when they do have a neurological basis for their behavior, it's not willfulness or laziness. But I  also believe IM helps heal many of those neurological challenges and leaves a child better able to function in a typical environment, where we will need fewer modifications to help them succeed.. Here's my notes on this DVD.

Theory of Mind or Mentalizing

I just watched Uta Frith's Theory of Mind presentation again and am noting the brain areas she's mentioned in which this process  happens.

Weak Right Hemisphere or NLD

Your child's brain is marvelous, fascinating and has TWO hemispheres - both hugely important. Some times I will notice weakness in one or the other hemisphere during IM training. Extreme right brain hemisphere weakness can sometimes be seen in attention issues, understanding the big picture, and what is often referred to as non verbal learning difficulties. Here you'll find one of the best descriptions I've found of what this looks like in a child.  A must read if I've said your child has a weak right hemisphere. Note - not all children will have all of these symptoms - some may have very few, but typically the right hemisphere is in charge of these mental processes.

Overflow movements in ADHD

I will often see students using overflow movements during IM tasks and associate this with an immature neurological system. This paper identifies this characteristic in our ADHD population as well. Read more here.

Positive Behavior Support

Here are a couple of links for parents that are dealing with behavioral issues from their children. Though not an IM link, it's a good resource.  Positive Behavior Support Kansas   and  Parent workbook for behavior challenges.

How to fix TIME AND SPACE

This continuation of Dr. Tony Simon's UC Davis MIND Institute presentation  and Q and A about children with a specific genetic conditions which looks like NVLD  shares his thoughts. He believes the minds at UC Davis  are very close to knowing how to 'fix' these brains.

Non Verbal Learning Disabilities behavior relationship to time and space

UC Davis MIND Institute has another great presentation. by Dr. Tony Simon titled Problems with Space and Time.....   Specifically this is about a specific population of children with spatio-temporal challenges. These children are often labeled as having Non Verbal Learning Disabilities, NVLD.

Though this research is not IM research, it shows that some challenges, often labeled as NVLD, are directly identified as weak resolution of time and space, the exact processing that IM impacts. Specific areas of the brain are implicated as well as networks with in the brain. Some of the areas of the brain that Dr. Simon mentions are the same sub-cortical brain areas that  MRI's have shown to be activated in IM including the cerebellum and the basal ganglia. He ends with the statement that "there is plenty of evidence that typical spatio-temporal systems are 'plastic' " and the we can 'fix' the problem. Practice and stimulation is what is needed to change and improve these processes.

9 yr old girl hated to read and couldn't focus, but now finds success!

This 9 yr old girl, we'll call her Libby, completed IM training in an very non conventional way.  Living in rural Kansas required that she travel a long distance and  she only came to IM on her days off of school.

Flame Retardants linked to ADD and Autism

Numerous studies and agencies, including the National Toxicology Program and the California Environmental Protection Agency, have linked halogenated chemicals (a common flame retardant found in furniture, mattresses, homes) to cancer, thyroid disease, reproductive problems, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, child autism and a long list of other ailments.

Toe Walking

Persistent Toe Walking may be a sign of neurological challenges. Many of the students that I see have a history of toe walking. Here are some links to check out on the subject.

Help our boys

I see 3 boys for every girl... why? Is there a connection here?  I believe so. What this must see video here, The Disappearing Male.  

A Collections of Links about retained infant reflexes.

Reflexes Learning and Behavior

I am greatly interested in integrating reflexes through modified IM tasks and have gathered a significant amount of information on the subject. Here are some books I recommend.

 Of course, IM hours are vastly  limited in relationship to family life time. Parents wanting to learn some 'play' forms that would be helpful for their child should check out this collection of information or google search your self.

Post IM - what to expect down the road.

Recently I've recieved two emails from mom's post IM  that made me smile. I would like to share them with you.

Lazy eye, Lazy ear - Early life experience impacts the brain

Relatively short-term hearing deprivation during childhood may lead to persistent hearing deficits, long after hearing is restored to normal. 

But the good news is: It is unlikely to be a permanent problem for most people," concludes Dr. Polley. "Even if the acoustic signal isn't corrected within the critical period, the mature auditory cortex still expresses a remarkable degree of plasticity

IM is all about brain plasticity - specifically impacting auditory, visual, proprioceptive and vestibular processes. Post IM, if auditory processing remains deficient, I recommend looking in a program called Fast Forward, a more fine tuned auditory processing program that impacts brain plasticity as well. I always recommend IM first, as IM is a bit less specific, more general  all over sensory processing, therefore more foundational. Fast Forward is more specific. Many IM providers offer both and the order I've heard everyone of the providers use is IM first, then Fast Forward. Logically and functionally this makes sense.

Read more here.

Squirrellies and Inhibition - A deeper look.

Wonderful question from a mom today (Nov of 2009 actually - when I began this post.) She had stayed during IM and watched her son in the squirrellies. He was swaying, moving his body non stop, looking out the window, etc - simply following every thought his brain had - NO INHIBITION what so ever.

Inhibition - Think about people you know who have good inhibition, versus those that don't inhibit anything.  What behavior is more 'mature' ? Take a few minutes and just think about this.

Here's a picture of a 7 yr old boy with in house 'squirrellies.' Today about every 1 to 10 seconds, this lad gave into some random sensory impulse, an overwhelming urge to move, much like an itch you just have to scratch.

Do Toxins Cause Developmental Delays?

Click here to read this New York Times article.

Balance.... So important

I'm reading a book, Balance:  In Search of the Lost Sense, about the vestibular system or--in layman's terms--balance. (This book is also available at the Topeka Public Library.)  Balance is a crucial sense that we don't think much about.  There is an intervention program based solely on this process to improve attention, reading, academic issues, Balametrics.   In IM, tasks 12 and 13 are balance tasks.  I also add balance foams, discs and other challenges as the student progresses in IM and is ready for the increase challenge.  Slightly different from Balametrics, which works balance to improve timing, we work timing and include balance activities.  Both are essential to allowing individuals to reach their fullest potential. If your child falls a lot, bumps into walls, sprawls across the table to do homework, or spills their milk more than is typical, these may be red flags for you.

Tummy Time is essential for infant neurological development.

With the 1992 launching of the "Back to Sleep" campaign aimed at reducing the incidence of SIDS, some unexpected negative consequences have resulted. This may be one of the factors behind some of the  learning challenges that I see every day. The American Physical Therapy Association's article reported, "physical therapists who saw an increase in motor delays said that the lack of "tummy time," or the amount of time infants spend lying on their stomachs while awake, is the number one contributor to the escalation in cases."  But it's not just motor skills that are impacted, inadequate tummy time seems to take a toll on cognitive areas and self regulatory areas as well.  

Why does my child struggle so?

I believe it's not the parenting (though parenting skills help struggling children reach their fullest potential), not the genetics (though certain children are more genetically susceptible) and not the child's fault (it's not that they are lazy, unmotivated or selfish).  There are very real processing issues underlying these behaviors. Click on this clip for what I believe we need to do to help our future children to flourish. (Your child may need some interventions such as IM now to help overcome the environmental insults they've already received early in their development.)
A Wake-Up Story from Healthy Child Healthy World on Vimeo.

Let's change the world! And save our grandchildren!

IM and Autism Case Study

Here's a case study I ran across.  Twelve year old Anna saw many wonderful gains through IM.  LorRainne Jones, her OT, said, "For many of my patients, IM is where we begin treatment."

ATNR Activities

Many students that I see have atypical movement patterns. One particular atypical pattern is frequently seen:  The child makes his or her circles backwards (claps downward). Modified versions of this might be that the child arches back and forth on the single handed hits, or they flatten the circles.  There is a very strong correlation between these atypical movement patterns and the retained infant reflex, ATNR (Asymmetric Tonic Neck Reflex.) ATNR retention is often associated with ADD.

Can my 3rd grader come after school?

I get many families that would prefer their younger child do IM after school.  I do not allow this for a couple of very important reasons. I am very cognizant of the hardship this makes on the teachers and family, but the children are the most important piece of this equation.