Molly, a 10-year-old 5th grader, had a recent diagnosis that included ADHD, and she was said to be showing signs of High Functioning Autism. Molly’s mother noticed that her daughter would regularly forget things at home and school, and was unable to keep her belongings organized. She had trouble focusing, and even doing the smallest amount of homework was a daily battle. When a school test was over, she would regularly forget most of what she had worked so hard to learn.

As Molly moves into her junior high school years, she would be required to memorize more writing and reading, and Molly’s mother was anxious that she could only spend limited time assisting Molly with her studies. She wondered how her daughter would make her way through this seemingly overwhelming challenge.

When Molly’s mother saw the Interactive Metronome (IM) website, she read the content with a certain level of suspicion and doubt, but as a parent who wanted to do whatever she could to help Molly and lessen her frustrations, she decided to give IM a try.

After about the third IM training session, Molly showed signs of being able to get her homework done quicker. She was beginning to complete small assignments smoothly and quickly that in the past would take her ages to complete, and eventually Molly was able to complete homework assignments on her own.

Immediately following her course of IM training, Molly’s family went on vacation for a week. During this time, Molly made a new friend about her age and she was able to enjoy interacting with her new friend. And this continued even after she returned from vacation; what really excites her parents is that in the past, she never went over to her friend’s homes to play. But now, she’ll visit several friends within the same week to play after school and on weekends.

Molly’s mother teared up when she explained, “Of course, there are times when she has minor squabbles with her friends, but it’s so wonderful to see her learning to interact with others in a way she wasn’t able to in the past. Not only this,” she went on, “but ever since our summer trip, Molly hasn’t thrown any major tantrums. She threw a small tantrum once, but she regained emotional control so much quicker than in the past. She doesn’t pout over things, or go off to be by herself, or cry like she used to any more.”

Molly’s schoolteacher also noted that she is able to work through difficult situations and resolve them without any crying. Even in times of discussion with her classmates, Molly is able to follow along in the conversation and even give her own opinion on matters.

Molly’s mother has observed that Molly is displaying a more positive attitude toward doing her homework and completing her assignments. When Molly was asked what had changed for her since taking the IM training, she replied, “Everything is much easier for me now. It’s much easier to do my homework than it was before.” The mere fact that there are fewer daily mother-daughter battles has lowered the family’s stress level and made their home a happier one. “We only wish more people with similar challenges could benefit from what IM training has to offer,” Molly’s mother says.

Tom Burkard B.Ed., IMprove Japan.