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WHAT IS THE INTERACTIVE METRONOME? The Interactive Metronome program trains millisecond movements to a rhythmic beat. A cow bell sound is presented and the client is asked to press a microswitch with a hand or foot as close to the bell as possible. Feedback as to accuracy is presented auditorily and visually, training increased control of responses. While this appears to be a rather basic exercise, studies are showing that a number of cognitive systems take part in this process, and training on the Interactive Metronome is correlated with improvements in auditory and visual attention, physical coordination, timing, impulsivity, response speed, consistency of response speed, rhythmic accuracy, self monitoring, endurance, mental processing speed, initiation, sequencing, planning, language processing, reading, writing, and math. An experimental study of fifty-six boys, aged nine to twelve, diagnosed with ADHD, and trained on the Interactive Metronome, found significant improvements on the TOVA, compared with control and video game control groups. Parents also reported a decline in aggression, compared to the two other groups. The Interactive Metronome group also "showed significant patterns of improvement in cognitive processing (similarities and differences) and academic skills in reading than did the other two groups" (Schaffer et al, The American Journal of Occupational Therapy 2001; 2:155-62). Speed of processing improvements were shown by two studies. In the first, seven hundred middle and high school students were trained with the Interactive Metronome, and on the Woodcock-Johnson III showed: Over 1.5 year gain in math fluency Over 2 years gain in reading fluency Over 2.5 years gain in mental processing speed Eighty fourth and fifth grade students from an inner-city school who completed Interactive Metronome training showed: Gain of 1.3 grades in math fluency Gain of 1.7 grades in reading fluency |