Emma' Story - IM with toddlers

IM with very young children. Given the right circumstance, IM is very much an option for the very young. Here's one story.

Cognitive Flexibility

Cognitive Flexibility is the ability to shift gears, a foundation human process that plays a role in an individual's ability to succeed. IM dramatically improves cognitive flexibility at all levels of functioning. Here are three video clips about this mental process.

A dad shares about how improved cognitive flexibility seen during IM training positively impacted his son's behavior.
.

A teen in an elite private school. This video begins with some higher level IM tasks and then you'll hear the student and parent talk about the behavioral ramifications of improved cognitive flexibility.

Research is now being done on elite managers and what's happening in their brains that allows for top end cognitive flexibility that makes them the world's innovators. 

IM assessment - Overflow movement

When your child comes into IM Focused for an assessment, I am going to predominantly measure their timing. Timing is directly related to the efficiency and accuracy of mental processing. This score tells me a lot about your child. Less measurable but just as significant is the way in which your child moves. I put this video together for a presentation for some Kansas City OT students. Some helpful information for parents that these OT students most likely already know is:


Overflow - This is movement other than the movement desired. An common example is when the preschool student opens and closes their mouth matching the opening and closing of the scissors. This tells something about that child's mental processes.


ATNR - Assymetric Tonic Neck Reflex is a normal reflex that everyone has, but after 18 months or so, this reflex should not be spontaneously firing anymore. If it is, a child can have challenges attending, sitting still copying from the board, etc. A child that predominantly makes backwards circles usually will test positive for an ATNR that is not well integrated.


 I thought parents could also benefit by watching this video before your child comes in for an assessment. You will know some of the movements I am looking for then. Here's the video.

Teacher, not Occupational Therapist

I am an educator, not an occupational therapist.

So why's that important to you?

Why am I an IM Provider?

Dear Miriam,

I’m an IM provider because of students that fall through the cracks! You are my typical client.

Our son had learning challenges. As a young child every teacher in our small private school said he was too smart to hold back. Finally in 4^th grade, we pulled him out of private school and put him in public to have him fully evaluated. They said he was too high functioning as well. But he still struggled, so we went to Menninger’s ( when they were here), doctors, tutoring, I’m a special ed teacher so he was put through all the behavior programs I ever read about. I would say he ‘survived’ childhood for the most part, but definitely didn’t thrive ( he has said before that he has to grieve the loss of his childhood) Finally, as a senior in high school, we  found the IM program for him. Immediately his life changed. Since then, he’s gone on to THRIVE – first at K State, then at Rockhurst for his Master’s degree and now out in the work force receiving  great comments about his skills and abilities. He’s leading a happy full involved life – everything we ever dreamed of. But he missed out of 17 years of that fullness of life because his brain was imbalanced and disconnected. I am doing what I’m doing for children (and adults) like YOU – the ones that slip through the cracks, something is not working right. I say, the sooner the better but it’s NEVER too late. My oldest IM student to date is 72 years old J.

Lori

This was the response to a letter I received this morning from an adult who struggles. I very much liked my response, says it in a nut shell why I do what I do. Her letter exemplifies how continued struggles impacts an entire life, how hesitant and unsure you become when your timing/brain connectivity is less than what it should be. "What if you can't help me." I've felt that fear, looked for help everywhere. My hope is that IM offers many people in my world an opportunity for that fullness of life, opens up doors like it did for our son. Here's her letter, typos and all.

Dear Lori,

What if  I do the assment and come out that you can not provide me with any help? For this seems to be the case when I was in school.  I would take test to see if I qitify for the LR room and would always test to high for the LR room but, I still had problems in school.  Miriam (Name changed)