Peace Within the Noise Conference a Big Success

Thanks to all who presented and attended the Peace Within the Noise conference in Des Moines, IA. We had a passionate and informed group this past Saturday. On behalf of b-Calm and Champions of Autism and ADHD thank you for your participation.

We heard from a variety of presents on subjects ranging from civil rights, to sensory integration, to methods for helping siblings of ASD individual. We are currently review all the evaluation received about the conference and are looking ahead to another event possibly as soon as April, 2010.

Conference Scholarships Available

Perhaps you’d like to attend the “Peace Within the Noise” Conference but the cost is creating a barrier?  Maybe you’re a teacher or therapist working for a non-profit and funds for ar tight this semester?

If that’s the case, please call our office at 515-289-0856 and ask about a conference scholarship.  We’re working hard to ensure that anyone who wants to come has the opportunity.

Conference Topic Highlight

Conference Topic Highlight:

Assisted Therapies and Local Resources

This workshop will provide an opportunity for participants to discuss possible therapies and local clinical resources for parents, families and caregivers of children with Autism, Asperger’s or ADHD.

Families First, Inc. offers diverse, passionate, and experienced employees that provide counseling and support to children and families, applicable services, and programs that meet individual and family needs.

Speaker Spotlight:
Dr. Kory Frederick, PsyD, LMHC/LPHA

Dr. Frederick is the Clinical Director for Families First, Inc. with over 18 years experience in providing services for mental health and wellness.  He also provides training and supervision for the staff with the agency.

He has worked for various agencies in Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota.  He currently provides assessments and counseling for children, adults, and families.  He has a wealth of knowledge and experience that he brings to the clients he serves.  He has worked in schools, hospital, and clinics and has assisted in the development of programs for such.  He works closely with physicians, schools, courts, and the Department of Human services to insure children receive the best possible care.

Conference Topic of the Week

EXPLORING C.H.A.D.D. Lead by the local facilitator for CHADD, Julie Ingram,  this interactive workshop will provide participants with a better understanding of the function and structure of CHADD. CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) is the nation’s leading non-profit organization serving individuals with ADHD and their families. CHADD has over 16,000 members in 200 local chapters throughout the U.S. They offer support for individuals, parents, teachers, professionals and others

SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT: Julie Igram Julie is the local facilitator of CHADD. Although she has a degree in Early Childhood Special Education, and Early Childhood / Elementary Education, her expertise comes from raising three children, two with diagnosis of AD/HD. When her daughter entered junior high, school became exceedingly difficult. This is when she turned to the Greater Des Moines CHADD support group for help. Of course people are able to find help for their children, but finding help for the entire family is important. At the support group she was able to have others listen to her and give her ideas. It was an important piece for her well-being.This year will be her second year teaching Parent to Parent, and she recommends it to any parent who is struggling with raising an AD/HD child! Recently, she also took over the CHADD support group for the greater Des Moines area as well. They meet the first Monday of every month at the West Des Moines Library from 7-9 p.m.

Learn more about the upcoming Peace Within the Noise 2009 Conference

Special Event for Best Buddies Iowa

Best Buddies Iowa Giving Thanks Gala
Honoring Senator Tom Harkin

Saturday, November 7, 2009 | 6:00 p.m. | Iowa Events Center at Hy-Vee Hall, Downtown Des Moines

Iowa’s Senator Tom Harkin has dedicated much of his career to expanding opportunities for people with disabilities and Best Buddies Iowa will be honoring Harkin for this dedication at the Third Annual “Giving Thanks Gala”.

New CDC Study Finds Rise in Autism Rates

A new CDC study was reported recently in the Chicago Tribune.  Read the Story The alarming data found that around 1 in 100 children, 8 years old, in the US have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

More surprising were the results of a CDC and the Health Resources and Services Administration survey.  Parents of 78,000 children ages 3 to 17 were asked whether a health care worker or doctor had ever told them their child had autism spectrum disorder.  Parents of 1 in 91 children said yes and also said their child currently has the disorder. For boys, the figure was 1 in 58.  All these number work out to mean that approximately 1% of American children will be affected by ASD.

Before we go into “panic mode” it’s important to take a step back.  First, this data does not necessarily mean that more kids are autistic than ever before, but that perhaps identification and diagnosis have improved such that we “seeing” more cases.  It’s also important to look carefully at phone surveys, the data can be valuable but it is open to inaccuracies as opposed to other research that looks at medical records, health worker interviews etc.

So what does this mean?

This is a good wake-up call for those outside the ASD community.  It’s interesting that most parents would not concieve of driving with their 1 year old child not in a saftey seat, yet the odds of dying in a car wreck are 1 in 18,585.  If we can take the time and effort to buy a $100 car seat and strap it in the back of the minivan, we can take the time to get educated about ASD.

One thing we do know, the early an autism disorder can be identified in a child, the better and more effective the treatment will be.  To that end, it’s imperitive that all parents, especially those with young kids, know the signs of autism.  The CDC website is a great place to start:

CDC Resource – Signs of Autism

Second, with the more and more parents raising autistic kids its important for us, their friends, neighbors etc to do whatever we can to be supportive.  Chances are we all have someone we can think of that has an autistic child.  How nice it would be if we went out of our way to cook them a meal, mow the grass.  If you know the family well enough, maybe offer to help watch the kids so mom and dad can get out of the house for an hour or two and have a break.  We’re all busy, but it doesn’t take much to help out, and it certainly makes a difference.

Many hands make light work.  If we all get informed and involved we’ll find a better life for ourselves and our kids.

b-Calm Team to be on AWA Radio

Friends,

We’re excited to let you know that on Monday at 2pm CDT, Brent Carmichael and Curtis Carroll from b-Calm will be guests on AWA Radio.

Hosted by Sharon DaVanport, AWA Radio is a project of the Aspergers Womens Association.  This weekly show includes interviews, current events and live calls from you the audience.  b-Calm is proud to be a sponsor and contributor to this great project.

New b-Calm Team Member

We’re happy to announce the addition of Brent Carmichael to the b-Calm team.  Brent will be serving as project coordinator for b-Calm.  His responsiblities will including interfacing with teachers, parents and other organization working within the Autism and ADHD communities.  It addition to sales and marketing work on the b-Calm system, Brent will be in charge of working with non-profit agencies to further education and awareness in regards to Autism Spectrum Disorders and ADHD.

Brent as a unique background that makes him an excellent addition to the team.  A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Brent played professional basketball and later went on to serve as a basketball coach and founder of 4 U Academy the non-profit project dedicated to educating and mentoring at-risk children.

Brent also brings real life experience with autism to the table.  His son, Artez was diagnosed autistic at age 8 in 1993.  Through these years, Brent learned the real life challenges and blessings of parenting a child on the spectrum.

We’re excited to welcome Brent and introduce him to you!

b-Calm for College Students

Typically, b-Calm is used by younger students in a classroom setting.  H0wever, we’re coming to learn that this is not where the effectiveness of b-Calm ends.

We were very excited about the review we recently received from a student using the AudioSedation files for improving focus and concentration on college studies.

Read the Review from Riri

Have you found a new use for your b-Calm System?  Contact Us and tell us about it!

The New b-Calm is Here!

We’re excited to announce that the news version of b-Calm is now available!  The same simple and effective AudioSedation tracks delivered in a sleek new player with additional features for the home or classroom.

With expanded memory and video capabilities the b-Calm system is sure to be a welcome addition to your home or classroom.

Learn More about b-Calm and AudioSedation

Order a b-Calm System or AudioSedation tracks

Contact Us about a demo  for your school or classroom

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