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.