What Is IM?
The Interactive Metronome (IM) is a brain-based rehabilitation assessment and training program developed to directly improve the processing abilities that affect attention, motor planning, and sequencing. This, in turn, strengthens motor skills, including mobility and gross motor function, and many fundamental cognitive capacities such as planning, organizing, and language.
How Does IM Work?
The IM program provides a structured, goal-oriented training process that challenges the patient to precisely match a computer generated beat. Participants are instructed to synchronize various hand and foot exercises to a reference tone heard through headphones. The patient attempts to match the rhythmic beat with repetitive motor actions such as tapping his/her toes on a floor sensor mat or hand clapping while wearing an IM glove with palm trigger. A patented audio or audio and visual guidance system provides immediate feedback. The difference between the patient’s performance and the computer generated beat is measured in milliseconds. The score provided indicates timing accuracy.
Benifits
Adult and pediatric clients who have benefited from IM are individuals with motor planning and sequencing problems, speech and language delays, motor and sensory disorders, learning disabilities, and various cognitive and physical deficits.
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Lyme Disease
- ADD/ADHD
- Executive Function Disorder
- Aspergers Syndrome
- Pervasive Development Disorder, PDD
- Motor Planning and Sequencing Difficulties
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Learning Disabilities
The Interactive Metronome is spectacularly helpful. It is one of the most promising developments with non-medication of ADHD that’s come along in a long while…. This is really solid, extremely helpful non-medication (intervention) not only for ADHD but for mental functioning in general.
~ Edward Hallowell MD, author of Driven to Distraction, and leading clinician and speaker on ADHD
As occupational therapists, we have found the Interactive Metronome to be very valuable tool for improving rhythmiticity, timing and sequencing in children and adults with sensory integration problems. Upon completing the IM program, our clients have noticed significant improvements in their coordination, focus, and ability to process information.
~ Jane Koomar, Ph.D., OTR/L, FAOTA Executive Director, Occupational Therapy Associates in Watertown, MA