“Are you ready?”
Ash refused to let Autism Spectrum Disorder rule his life, learn how his grades and behavioral patterns greatly improved after training with Interactive Metronome.Ash, a 10-year-old boy diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, didn’t typically struggle with his academics but had the tendency to speak out of turn, chew on his clothing or other items he found around him, and had trouble keeping his hands to himself which was often reflected in on his daily report card. After trying other modalities with no improvement, IM was introduced. Ash struggled getting used to the headphones and the rhythm but was excited to try this “new computer game with clapping”. Being a perfectionist, Ash refused to give up and wanted to do better. After months of IM training, he was able to meet his IM goal and it showed not only on his report card but with his abilities to stay on task in class and even lead his gym class in their warm-up exercises.
I have had the opportunity of working with many children who are diagnosed with PDD. The diagnosis in general seems to have a very wide range of abilities and areas that are affected. I have found in my area (Northeastern part of the country), that these children seem to fall somewhere between those who are diagnosed with Autism, and those diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome. So their responses to using the Interactive Metronome have been very similar, with great progress in a shorter amount of time...
Hanging out with friends after school is a big part of a teenager’s life and is crucial for developing people and communication skills. For those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), social activity is very rare, especially after school and out of the family circle. This is something that has kept Professor Paul Shattuck of Washington University in St. Louis busy for many years; he says that limited or absent peer relationships can negatively influence health and mental health, especially during this difficult age.
