
How Does Interactive Metronome Home (IM-Home) work?
Tell me more.
I need details so I can understand
how this will work for us...
...and costs please!
TRAINING
IM is a training and needs discipline.
(Sadly, going to the gym for 30 mins once per month won’t get me bikini ready either:-).
It requires regular repetition to form these brain connections. Having said that clearly I also want you to know that thhis is a therapeutic tool and we want to make it as fun and motivating as possible... read on to see how we do that.
WHAT MAKES IT DIFFICULT?
The downside of training is that that can feel boring, unless you are particularly goal oriented. If they are old enough to engage in this way I would help your child get clear on what scores he wants to get himself to. If they are younger often they will have their own ways of setting a goal. Some look at one data point and aim to improve that. Others set a goal they can apply in daily life. This can be organic in the moment depending on how they respond. Either way we aim to bring their own preferences, interests and participation into the training so the child feels some ownership over how they practice. Some creativity and design fun can make all the difference! Maybe they want to train sitting inside a cardboard box "spaceship"! No problem. Maybe they want Pikachu to click the button and not their own hand. Great! We adapt and find ways to let them participate in the design of the training they are doing.
WHY IS IT A GREAT SOLUTION?
The advantage of IM-Home is that it is also “gamified” training which can be used to help make it more fun and give you a goal to focus on while you train (golf, football, basketball, yoga, space invaders, sandwich building etc). Plus you don’t have to cancel training because of intense rain/sun, or wear the right weather suitable training gear, or have access to a bike / rowing boat or other sports machine. You don’t have to clean or maintain those machines or grease the chain! You can train with IM-Home® when it suits, quickly, in your pjs, in your home. Awesome!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying don't do those amazing sports. Definitely do them. Participate in many different sports, in nature, in the fresh air and challenge your brain to try new things. What I am saying is that IM is a practical way of helping children and adults train their brains reliably and regularly, which makes new synapses and synchronises neural networks (most notably in the Cerebellum, Cingulate Gyrus, Basal Ganglia and Dorso Lateral Pre-Frontal Cortex). By the way you can also train with IM-Home outdoors, in that lovely fresh air and with the trees and flowers. Just protect the kit from damage, dirt or moisture, but training in nature is a great idea. Definitely do that!
ASSESSMENT
Ideally we would complete an initial assessment which checks timing performance in a range of different limbs and ways. That isn't always possible though so we go with where you / your child is at and gather data where we can or as we go. The built in IM assessment tool will measure a baseline timing accuracy and then with repetition and practice you move through to expert levels, which in turn gets results in more generalizable cognitive and executive function skills in school and life.
REWARDS
You may choose to assist training compliance by linking it to rewards such as time on other devices immediately after IM Training, a special mum/dad date without siblings for Ice-cream when a particular milestone of practice sessions has been achieved (we reward effort not results remember!) or that they get to pick dinner choice on a Friday. This is encouraged. We all need lots of praise and training consistently definitely deserves lots of verbal praise and encouragement! If your child has ADHD rewards typically need to be immediate, or at the least in the same day (and not at the end of the week). We all deserve to feel good after working on something difficult and the ADHD brain typically doesn't give the same feeling of reward or satisfaction that others may experience. Keep that in mind and consider building in nice things after each training (it can be very small) and after consistent training.
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TRAINING DURATION
If training is for 10 mins daily you could be completely done in 3-4 months, depending on your goals. But I think training 3 times a week is more practical for most families so a 6 month expectation of dedicated practice is better for realistic family life probably. Your call. You may feel you have reached the goals you wanted and be ready to stop or focus on a different activity. Of course you can continue training for maintenance for as long as you like or pick it up again for another intensive block whenever. For elderly customers this is particularly relevant and usually preferred.
SET UP
I would come to your home to set you up and show you how to get started. I can then run the first assessment and the first couple of mini training sessions so you are familiar with what to do. From there I can support you remotely, adjusting the training and supporting you / your child online with weekly 15-30 min check in sessions as needed. Depending on where you are located we can also meet in person as needed or on a regular schedule to aid motivation and commitment to the program.
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PLEASE NOTE: IM-Home® is not appropriate for everyone.
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Some children need a lot of support and have complex needs or diagnoses which means that other work needs to be completed first (Commonly Reflex Integration Work needs to be started first).
It may be that you can start your IM training as part of your regular OT sessions and then transition to IM-Home® when the time is right. In consultation with you and understanding your unique situation and case Zoë will know if you are a good candidate for Interactive Metronome OR the Interactive Metronome Home Unit and will be able to advise you.
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​COSTS:
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Detailed breakdown (with summary at the end):
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1. Purchase of your IM-Home ® unit = €600
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2. Start up = €200.
2 hours, ideally in person, to start you up = 2x €100 each hour.
Depending on what makes sense on the day, and how your child is presenting, this could be a home visit for 1.5 hours and a 30 mins follow up online observation of the child while they are completing their training. The goal would be to help you think through how, where and when to run the training, give you confidence and to answer any questions you may have.
Ongoing support will be offered in our weekly sessions to bring in new challenges and bespoke new ways of training according to your child’s needs and interests.
Encouragement for you and your child so you start your IM-Home® journey well.
Includes:
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Coaching through downloading software etc if needed, although instructions would be sent in advance for this.
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Demonstration of the cables and set up with your laptop/ desktop.
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Common errors or FAQs.
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Demonstration of how you can use the equipment in your own environment, with siblings, private space, play spaces etc as appropriate. Discuss possible bespoke adaptations.
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Complete a baseline Long Form Assessment (LFA) if possible or gather data from whatever first training is possible according to the client's abilities.
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Parent Checklist for child’s baseline social, emotional, academic and movement performance.
3. CHECK-INS - Remote (online) program adjustment and supervision for 3 months / 12 weeks = €300 (required minimum but additional support can be added as needed)
30 mins of online parent support = €25 x 12 = €300 (as per my website rates)
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Charged at parent coaching rate since YOU are involved in the training, communication with me, and the motivation and encouragement for your child.
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CHECK-INS: We will schedule a 15 min check in once each week to check in and confirm changes, plan progressions and support you with insights about the training. At the beginning, while you and your child are getting familiar with things, it might be helpful to exchange Whatsapp/Signal messages with me a couple of times in the week (please be respectful of frequency) to update me about how a specific daily training went, if something worked well or was difficult, observations you made, anything they liked or didn't like, what their focus was like, what their compliance was like, things you think might be worth changing etc. Your eyes on the situation and the subsequent feedback is vital! I don't want you to wait a week if there is something that's come up. I'm here - reach out! I will then schedule 15 min to adjust and reprogram your training program as needed in the background.
Note: If you would like additional support or your child’s condition is more complex it may be beneficial to have a longer parent session every so often (see usual rates on my website for parent online sessions or child online sessions as desired)
Reminder of rates:
Online Parent Coaching (half-rate)
30 min parent coaching online session: €25
45 min parent coaching online session: €37.50
60 min parent coaching online session: €50
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Face to Face or Online sessions with the child
30 min face to face session (25 mins +5): €50
45 min face to face session (35 mins +10): €75
60 min face to face session (45 mins +15): €100
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4. Additional costs to consider:
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Replacement headphones (if needed): Approximately €30-50
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Replacement button trigger (if needed): Approximately €100-150
Note: These additional costs are infrequently necessary but expensive and unfortunate when they happen. Typically I replace the item as quickly as possible so you can continue your training without delay and I take on the burden of claims or replacement. I try to keep things to as low a cost as possible so families can access this training and kids can progress and thrive (that's why I'm here and what I love to do!), but if things go wrong I appreciate you contributing at least something to the costs of replacement parts, if not all. I have not built in extra charges for this eventuality. I will do the communications, customs and admin time and effort to resolve things in the background.
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Kids can be rough with buttons and this is not unexpected as they are learning to control their bodies with more smooth movements, grace and fluidity while they clap, planning and anticipating with more ease. Clapping can be pretty strong to start with and while I offer prompts if they are disrespectful most of the time I understand that they are actually trying to recruit better accuracy through this powerful clap. They are doing their best and it will improve. The buttons are designed for kids but not invincible!
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On the other hand emotional dis-regulation during training or throwing headphones / buttons etc down without care after training is unacceptable and needs careful supervision and coaching to prevent damage leading to expensive and unnecessary costs and inconvenience. It is expected that an adult is supervising the training anyway so I ask you to use your judgement and remove valuable equipment to safety if this looks like it might happen (especially the IM-Home® Unit itself) so you can fully focus on supporting your child’s emotional needs.
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More importantly, if your child is dis-regulated while training connect with me without delay so we can talk about what is triggering these big feelings. Perhaps the program is too hard or the game is somehow upsetting. We want calm brains and bodies for training so please do not persevere or push your child if it is causing distress. On the other hand, any training benefits from encouragement and praise, it's not always easy, requires perseverance which many of our kids do not have lots of and it can bring up big feelings. Above all be kind and supportive.
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SUMMARY TOTAL:
Purchase of your IM-Home® unit = €600
Start up costs = €200
CHECK-INS (weekly for 3 months) = €300
(minimum required, more can be added if you feel you want or need additional support)
Starting offer October 2024:
One additional month of training with online support included for no additional charge. (4 months package instead of 3 months).
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