Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Interactive Metronome

I attended a refresher course on using the Interactive Metronome treatment (I'm an OT for those who don't know ) and was pleasantly surprised when the presenter included gifted kids in her list of those who benefit. I ended up having lunch with her (always a good idea to eat lunch with the presenter if you can!) and we talked a little about the needs of 2E kids and how they get lost in the shuffle. She was wonderful - I can share her contact info if anyone lives near Bradenton, FL and wants to check her out.

I was happy to hear her echo what I have found and that IM is an excellent way to support and boost the asynchronous skills of gifted kids. She shared with me that in her practice she gets calls from parents who are just looking for "brain boosts" to help their kids focus better for tests as they approach high school, to ease the stress and anxiety of essay writing (due to cognitive or mechanical skills) and to help them "feel better in their own skins." Her experience is that kids seems happier after successful intervention with IM.

I'm glad I went to the course - as 3/2 I start a brand new job in an outpatient pediatric clinic and am now fueled up to start with fresh ideas! But I thought I'd share the IM info again because I really believe in its ability to help with neurological processing. Check out the website - there's links to research and a provider list:

www.interactivemetronome.com

(disclaimer: I have no vested interest in IM - just providing information as a resource!)

I will be checking out the website!

I am still looking down ALL avenues for my dd7 who has 2E issues.

Thank You!

D- good luck with your new job! I read some of the site. It sounds similar to dance in some ways - can you compare/contrast the benefits of this therapy (which sounds good) with benefits of dance? For one thing I could see this therapy being easier to get started with and more private for the introverts of the world...but as to the mechanics of what occurs in the brain with both, I am curious. Thanks!

Chris-
I posted a link to a blog under "resources" that addresses the research having to do with timing accuracy and processing speed:
www.ticktockbraintalk.com

You are right that the basic principles are the same as dance. But a lot of people are unable to keep time with the music and can't move with the beat or learn a routine. IM (and any other timing, rhythm training) addresses the skill at a very basic neurological level. I had an adult I treated with IM be *able* to dance after completing IM. He never enjoyed dancing before because he couldn't keep the beat or get the timing - always stepping on his partner's toes!

Fascinating! thanks

When I checked out the website I thought: oh yeah, sounds like ds! But ds has been playing the cello (well) for nearly 5 years and has taken ballroom dancing (and did fairly well). So, although he has weaknesses in sequencing and probably motor planning, I'm not sure how this therapy would be different from what he does already.

I do want to mention that playing basketball this season has been amazing and unexpected therapy. Ds started out not even being able to dribble a ball. The key was lots of practice. This team had 3 practices each week (1.5 hours each time) plus games each week. Ds's gross motor skills and eye-hand coordination improved drastically. He now dribbles pretty well with both hands... and can has recently been able to catch the basketball and hold onto it without dropping it. I have seen improvments in his large motor timing (dribbling, catching, passing). Definitely doing basketball again! Ds really enjoys it, too.

Because ds really struggled to improve, basketball has affected his perfectionism for the better.

Does anyone have a child with extreme aversion to working with a time limit? I have never seen a child who would freak out about a timer as much as my ds. In his entire life NEVER ONCE could I get him to do anything while a timer was on (counting up, counting down, HUGE time limit with easy work, etc.). No matter what I tried, ds would panic and freak out. He told us he just couldn't think if he knew there was a time limit. Well, yesterday we saw ds work with a timer for the first time. (www.worldmathsday.com) I credit basketball for this. Perhaps the practice of playing in a game with a time clock has been responsible for this? We've seriously tried everything anyone has ever recommended to us to help him with his time limit issues and NOTHING until now.

Anyway, if anyone out there is considering sports for issues with timing and motor planning, even if the child has dismal skills, I highly recommend it. (As long as the child is even mildly cooperative and enjoys it, of course.)

Thanks for the link. (Has anyone checked out the case studies BTW? Very amazing. Not to good to be true, is it?)

Wait...can we talk about the dance thing for a moment? How does that improve the brain? DS6 clearly has some sensory issues and we tried to get some OT but it became clear that the specialists we worked with did not specialize in sensory stuff. I believe he has APD. Could you please provide more info?

Research for the Interactive Metronome suggests that it is our "internal timing" or our "brain clock" that helps us with processing speed and other skills related to coordination. The research has shown links between many areas of the brain involved in movement, language, attention and sequencing among other skills/abilities. Areas of the brain linked include the dorso-lateral pre-frontal cortex, basal ganglia, cingulate gyrus and the cerebellum. Both the blog I linked to and the IM website have more on research.

And I can vouch for its effectiveness as a therapist. I have had results ranging from subtle changes in behaviors and skills to life changing improvements. I'm not exaggerating - life changing according to one adult who I worked with who had dramatic improvements. Responses will vary, of course, based on each individual and the skill of the therapist using IM.

Other types of rhythm and timing exercises and intervention can be just as effective or more so, I suppose, based on how the person participates in the activities. One key to the impact of IM is how actively engaged and involved the person is in the training. It doesn't work unless you are putting forth an effort - but isn't that true for so much in life.
But, while sports can be wonderful and certainly improve things, the skills learned by practicing one activity, for example dribbling, over and over don't necessarily generalize into improvement in other areas. They may, but not always. Some people develop amazing splinter skills or isolated abilities even while their underlying skills are not so great. They just learn how to compensate for the deficits and succeed at mastering the one task. IM (and perhaps other interventions) address underlying brain function - not outward motor skills. That's the difference.