Interactive Metronome Treatment For ADHD

Interactive metronome therapy is one of theInteractive Metronome program were simply too
many ADHD treatments that have a history oftedious for most children with ADHD to complete.
mixed results. I had a friend whose children wentI was surprised by her response so I did a
through the program and she found that it helpedliterature search on the treatment. I only found
her children tremendously. The treatment consiststwo studies in the literature about ADHD and
of a computer program that gives you cues thatMetronome therapy. One study performed on
you must respond to in a set amount of time.about 50 boys in 2001 found that the "Interactive
The response time is assessed and the patient isMetronome training appears to facilitate a number
given feedback in order to improve their responseof capacities, including attention, motor control,
time.and selected academic skills, in boys with ADHD."
Occupational Therapist (OT) are trained toAnother study done on about 12 children with
administer the Interactive Metronome therapymixed attention and motor coordination disorders
and while many swear by the program, there arefound that the Interactive Metronome training
other OTs who feel that other computer basedmay improve deficits in visual motor control and
cognitive programs, such as Cogmed, are morespeed, but appeared to have little effect on
effective for the treatment of ADHD. One OTsustained attention. Both of these studies were
that I spoke with felt that, for many children withsmall and the patients were not categorized as
ADHD, the 30 minute sessions, several times aprimarily Hyperactive/Impulsive, combined type,
week that were required to complete theor Primarily Inattentive.