Combining Technologies: Driving Functional Neuroplasticity

Therapists and educators now have at their finger tips a wealth of technological advances that are providing both positive outcomes and valuable insights. One of these tools is the Interactive Metronome Program, which is rapidly becoming established in its contributions to assessing and treating time perception or an individual’s ‘internal clock’

critical for speech and language, cognitive abilities like focus, memory, reading, and learning, and motor coordination. Alongside IM, additional tools have been adopted to develop auditory frequency reception and expression. Arguably, the most fundamental feature to which the auditory system is attuned is frequency. Several researchers have developed the idea that frequency is the auditory analogue of space in vision, in part because of the way in which sensory transduction occurs; whereas the retina and primary visual cortex are organized spatiotopically, the cochlea and primary auditory cortex are organized tonotopically. Frequency, along with time, are the two “indispensable attributes” of audition, whereas space and time are the two indispensable attributes of vision. (Kubovy and Van Valkenburg, 2001). In the presentation, providers will further analyze the components of each frequency reception with time perception, their neurological constructs and influence upon development, recovery and performance. Participants will be able to identify key components of each construct and apply such principles to overall treatment planning. We are now armed with more information about these new technologies and how they alone fit into the treatment picture, but do you ever wonder how best to combine these interventions. Following this presentation, you will be better equipped to formulate sound clinical rationales for the use of these technologies in combination to promote maximum brain potential. Come to this presentation with specific cases in mind and share in this cross-disciplinary multi-media discussion.