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.