Is your child struggling in school? Does he have trouble concentrating? Is she anxious in social situations?
The simple questionnaire below, developed under the guidance of child psychiatrist Stanley I. Greenspan, will help you identify your child’s relative strengths and weaknesses in important areas of intellectual and social functioning.
For each of the following statements, choose a response that best reflects the frequency of your child’s performance of each activity. Rate your child’s performance using one of these three responses: most of the time; occasionally; or seldom.
1. Can focus and follow through on a variety of tasks.
2. Regulates and controls activity level and behavior, adapting to the situation.
3. Is able to develop relationships and can trust and work with others.
4. Is well-coordinated and can easily recognize and copy shapes and letters.
5. Is able to size up a problem, plan and carry out a multi-step solution.
6. Remembers information, follows directions and carries out responsibilities.
7. Reads and responds to social cues and engages in appropriate interactions with others in a variety of contexts.
8. Keeps a beat with music, singing, dancing or other rhythmic activities.
9. Speaks fluidly and clearly without confusion, stuttering or stammering.
10. Systematically searches for missing objects and is able to figure out how to reach a new destination.
11. Masters new information and concepts in a variety of subjects at home and school.
12. Engages in, enjoys and is able to fully interact in peer relationships.
From understanding how words fit into a sentence, to the steps needed to toss a ball, calculate a math problem or find one’s way within the neighborhood — timing, planning and sequencing play a critical role in developing a child’s intellectual and social capacities including important academic skills.
While even a first-grader should be able to carry out the tasks described, older children will generally carry out these tasks in a more complex manner. The more the child can perform the skills described in these questions, that is, do them most of the time, the greater the child’s strength in that area.
“Attention, learning and problem solving depend in part on the ability to plan and sequence actions and ideas. Interactive Metronome training helps individuals systematically exercise and often improve basic motor planning and sequencing capacities,” said Greenspan, director of the Interactive Metronome Scientific Advisory Board.
About The Interactive Metronome
The Interactive Metronome provides a systematic way to improve timing, focus and concentration. IM training combines the principles of the traditional, music metronome with the power of a computer to precisely measure and improve human performance.
Studies show that IM performance correlates with academic achievement in areas such as mathematics, language, reading and attention to task. Using headphones, along with hand and foot sensors, the IM precisely measures how closely a participant responds to computer-generated musical beats.
In approximately 15 one-hour sessions, trainees progress through a series of engaging, interactive exercises to systematically improve their timing, focus and concentration and lower their IM “scores.” Like training wheels on a bicycle, the guide sounds instantaneously provide feedback on the accuracy of each movement and encourage improvement.
“You could consider the IM as advanced training for the brain,” said Tom Eggleston, CEO and co-founder of Interactive Metronome, Inc. “The Interactive Metronome appears to affect a core mental process and provides a non-invasive way to stimulate learning and performance.”
IM training has been found to improve timing, concentration and coordination in both children and adults. Studies show the IM may produce significant gains in academic and athletic performance as well as aid in a range of cognitive difficulties. These findings are consistent with recent research on the growth of the brain that indicates that environmental influences, not just genetics, can facilitate brain development.
Interactive Metronome, Inc. is based in Weston, Fla. and the company’s patented Interactive Metronome assessment and training program is used in more than 800 clinics, hospitals and schools throughout the United States and Canada.
For more information about the Interactive Metronome, contact an IM Provider nearest you by visiting www.interactivemetronome.com or call 877-994-6776.
– Courtesy of ARA Content
