IM Training and The Sound of Success

Louise is a nine year-old girl who was diagnosed with Central Auditory Processing Disorder. She started receiving additional services outside of school after she was having trouble with reading, especially reading fluency. She worked through a lot of traditional reading programs, but improvement was slow; there just had to be something else to really help her overcome her deficits.

Although reading was Louise’s parents’ main concern, she was also having a lot of trouble with memory and processing information. It was the middle of the school year, but Louise still couldn’t identify her classroom and needed assistance finding her way around. She did not have major problems with hearing, but she would not respond in a timely manner; her mother even said she had to tell Louise directions several times before she would understand.

Louise was using an FM system in the classroom, and while it did help her understand her teachers, other children made fun of her and called her names. That bothered her and made it harder to overcome her deficits, but she stayed strong and continued to wear the device because she knew she needed it. At that point, Louise was also placed in Special Education classes because she had fallen about 2 years behind in her reading level.

When she started using Interactive Metronome®, her goals were to improve reading fluency, processing speed and her soccer skills. Within two sessions, Louise no longer needed assistance and was completing the exercises on her own. She trained four times a week, but remained motivated by her personal goal of getting four in a row. Well, the results were amazing!

Louise’s motivation to complete training really paid off. Within a couple of weeks she was completing her homework everyday in less than an hour. Before, she needed help to finish her assignments, and often it would take all night. In fact, her schoolwork improved across the board. Her teachers also said she was paying more attention in school and didn’t need as much daily assistance. Although she remained in Special Education classes, her fluency and comprehension improved greatly.

“What about her soccer skills?” you may ask. Well, they improved dramatically! Her coaches and teammates were amazed by her newfound balance, coordination and decision-making. Louise was better than ever, even “outstanding” by most accounts!

It is great to see Louise today. The improvements in reading and processing have helped her change her outlook on school. With the additional improvements in balance and motor control, Louise is also happier when she is on the field with her soccer team. This wonderful little girl has a bright future ahead, and her family and teachers credit IM with the changes. While we are happy to be part of her transformation, her hard work and motivation will surely lead to big things in her future!