Timing Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders have trouble integrating simultaneous auditory & visual sensory information due to impaired temporal processing. This timing deficit hampers development of social, communication, language & literacy skills.

The ability to tap in sync with an auditory beat is directly correlated with:

• the ability to read

• phonological awareness

• fine & gross motor skills

• consistency of auditory brainstem response to sound

• the degree of neural "jitter" or noise in the brain

Harvard and McLean Hospital completed a 15-week study on children with ADHD using an at-home Melillo Method™ program that consisted of hemispheric balancing exercises plus a neural timing tool called the Interactive Metronome™.

The at-home program consisted of primitive reflex integration exercises, core & postural stability movements, specific sensory stimulation and the use of Interactive Metronome™. The results of the study were significant and showed that an at-home brain balancing program is AS EFFECTIVE as stimulant medication in alleviating ADHD symptoms in children.

Key findings of the study:

• Children who completed the 15 week program saw significant reduction in hyperactivity, greater cognitive attention and reductions in oppositional behavior.

• Connections across the brain were significantly improved in areas that are responsible for emotional and response control, language processing, memory retrieval, concentration, and distractibility.

• Not only did brain connections significantly improve immediately after the program, but those improvements were still present 7 months later.

Cognitive focus plays a crucial role in success or failure at school, work, and in almost all aspects of human performance. Children with ADHD and those on the Autism spectrum have difficulty with attention, focus and concentration.

Current research defines focus (or controlled attention) as the ability to direct your attentional spotlight on only the information that is relevant to the task at hand and to information about this task contained in your mental workspace (working memory). Maintaining appropriate focus and keeping the key bits of information in working memory that pertain to successful completion of the task, while tuning out irrelevant distractions, requires constant monitoring and timely feedback to the attentional control center of the brain. When you are focused, cognitive control mechanisms work behind the scenes to constantly monitor performance and immediately detect interference. It is the job of the cognitive control mechanisms to deflect any outside distractions and internally self-generated mind wandering so that you can successfully maintain focus. Focus training can result in the “quieting of the busy mind.”

The at-home Melillo Method™ (our INTEGRATE program) develops the foundation of the brain -- primitive reflexes and body awareness, which lays the foundation for further neural connections across both hemispheres. When we add in the use of Interactive Metronome™ (our FOCUS program) research is consistent on showing the improvement of higher level cognitive skills needed for focus, attention, concentration, working memory. Our FOCUS program improves those areas by improving temporal processing. This is the brains rhythm or internal clock. Temporal timing practice increases communication across critical brain networks. FOCUS training increases the efficacy of the parietal-frontal brain network, the brain network most associated with general intellectual functioning, working memory, controlled attention and executive functions.

The best news is that the significant findings were all done at home. You can create real change and improvements in your child's ability to focus & concentrate with simple movements and tools used at home on a regular basis. Get started today by heading to our website and learning about our programs.