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.
We often get questions on how to use IM with specific populations, how to work with the equipment and anything else that is causing our Providers headaches. Amy Vega, a fabulous SLP and our Clinical Education Director, is here to answer those questions from time to time. Today, she tackles an important question for parents and our OT and PT professionals: I know every kid is different, but approximately how many sessions would be typical for an almost non-speaking 15 yo with autism?
National Time Management Month is celebrated during February each year. February is the perfect month to focus on time management skills with your clients. Time management is not as complex or difficult as it seems. When children learn time management early in life, they tend to do so for the rest of their lives. Time management in students helps them achieve their academic and recreational goals. It also teaches them to be independent and productive.
Children diagnosed with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have difficulty staying on task and staying organized, all of which can make time management challenging. This is because of the way the brain tends to process things when a person is living with ADHD.
Dr. Susan Zapf is an Occupational Therapist and Assistive Technology Professional with over 27 years of experience working with the pediatric population in both private practice and the school-based settings. She is an entrepreneur and is the Owner and Clinical of The Children’s Therapy Center, Inc., a prominent pediatric sensory integration clinic in Houston, Texas. Dr. Zapf is also the Owner and President of Children’s Journey to Shine, Inc, an educational training company that educates healthcare professionals on assistive technology assessment and service delivery and provides therapy services that utilize animals and nature as tools in therapy. Dr. Zapf is the President of Reining Potential of Texas, a non-profit organization that uses the horse in occupational therapy services. Dr. Zapf is adjunct faculty for the Ph.D. Pediatric Science track at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in Provo, Utah, and teaches a course on assistive technology. As an occupational therapist, she is passionate about helping children and their families develop skills to reach their full potential and she believes that occupational therapy, assistive technology, and animals can be powerful interventions to assist in this process.
In this first study of its kind, Bonacina et al. provide evidence for how rhythmic skills interconnect and develop in school-age children. Of particular interest is the finding that children who clapped to a beat during the Interactive Metronome (IM) condition, while receiving feedback for millisecond timing, demonstrated the least variability in their synchronization and performed better on all of the other rhythm activities evaluated. Rhythm is complicated, there are several rhythm intelligences, and IM alone impacts all of the vital rhythms that are so important to the development of language and literacy.
We often get questions on how to use IM with specific populations, how to work with the equipment and anything else that is causing our Providers headaches. Amy Vega, a fabulous SLP and our Clinical Education Director, is here to answer those questions from time to time. Today, she tackles an important question for parents and our OT and PT professionals: is it by seeing the information or hearing it that your client pays attention to it and comprehends it best in daily life?
April is Occupational Therapy (OT) Month. We work with OT's every day and we can't thank them enough for their support and continued efforts in their communities.
Heuser Chiropractic is featured in the news as a provider of Interactive Metronome (IM). Therapists soon realized that IM can be used to help not only people with ADHD, but people suffering from Cerebral Palsy, Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). Malachi, 25, who has suffered from TBI while overseas with the Army says that IM has helped his focus and saw great improvement.
Clapping to a bell? …That sounds boring. How is this going to actually help my child?
This is a question that I hear from many parents as I try to explain to them what IM is and how it works to make changes in the brain’s mesh of neurological connections. “I don’t think my child would do that for a whole hour” or “I think you are going to lose them during the session” are common responses, and there is always the “My child already knows how to clap, so how would this ever help them? These are actually all really good statements, and a parent should never hesitate to ask what it is that we are doing and why we think it will help.
We’re social people – we invite you to keep in touch with us. Follow us and be the first to hear news, get updates, media stories, press releases, special offers and more!
This is a question that I hear from many parents as I try to explain to them what IM is and how it works to make changes in the brain’s mesh of neurological connections. “I don’t think my child would do that for a whole hour” or “I think you are going to lose them during the session” are common responses, and there is always the “My child already knows how to clap, so how would this ever help them? These are actually all really good statements, and a parent should never hesitate to ask what it is that we are doing and why we think it will help.