Interactive Metronome Week 1

The week began with me attempting to teach Jameson place value AGAIN. We have seriously been at this for 2 years now, and everytime we add to it, it's mass confusion all over again.

I say the number, for example, "five-thousand, six hundred."

She writes some preposterous number like 560000000. Again and again and again.

And we dance this dance of frustration for over 30 minutes.

And yes... I have tried every possible way of teaching this concept, manipulatives with straws in groups, pictures, etc. This is but one example of the much larger, much more severe issue.

Eventually this ends with both of us near tears as she cannot understand it, and I cannot make her understand it. I kinda want to jump out of the window at this point or vice versa.

She makes it through her first metronome session without any problems. She loves getting attention from others, especially other women, who aren't mean like me, who feed her attachment issues; so she really enjoyed it.

Then Day 2, therapy went OK, but afterward, she is freaking in outer space. I feel like I might as well put her to bed after therapy. She cannot focus, answer questions, or do much of anything. I guess it's normal for her brain to be a little fried after metronome.

Day 3 - Her therapist said she is doing phenomenally well. They've moved on to the auditory stuff and will come back to the visual as auditory seems to be the part she has the hardest part with. ie: listening to someone say the number five-thousand six hundred and having the slightest idea how to understand what she's heard and write that number.

Interestingly, she said Jameson responds much better with her feet than her hands and responds better with her right hand but left foot. I have no idea what this means...

Her therapist said it's not unusal for people to get the "itchies" after beginning therapy. Student with sensory integration difficulties will have so much activity going on in the brain that the nervous system often responds strangely.

IM is also used to treat PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) which I'm pretty sure Jameson has. Her therapist warned me that she may begin having more emotionality and nightmares while her brain is being stimulated to such extents.

And that's just week 1...