**b-Calm Summer Give-A-Way**

Everyone loves the joys of summer… Children running through sprinklers when the temperature is hot, ice cream treats melting down kid’s hands, and families splashing in the local outdoor pool. Although it feels like summer just started, the start of school is fast approaching.

b-Calm wants to help prepare your child for the new school year by giving away a FREE b-Calm GP System, valued at $129.

b-Calm has been shown to effectively help children with Autism or ADHD focus on tasks being performed in the classroom. The system blocks out distracting and disturbing sounds allowing for improved focus and concentration..

“The student wore the b-Calm headset while taking district assessments and I was amazed by how well the student was able to focus on the test,” expressed an elementary teacher working with an autistic student and the b-Calm system.

Parents, teachers, and caregivers enjoy using the system since the child now has control over the environment around them, preventing disruptive behaviors.

HOW TO ENTER:

You may enter multiple times. The more you participate, the more points you will earn, bettering your chance to win! Every time you make a point entry, please leave a comment below.

ENTRY INTO CONTEST – 1pt for comment

Your entry into the contest begins when you explore the b-Calm Sound website (www.b-calmsound.com) and listen to the sample AudioSedation files. Leave a comment below telling us which track you think would be good for your student or child.

EXTRA ENTRIES FOR MORE POINTS – 1pt per entry/comment

• LIKE b-Calm & Audio Sedation Technology on Facebook
• WATCH and COMMENT on the b-Calm YouTube videos
• FOLLOW Curtis_at_bCalm on Twitter
• SUBSCRIBE to the b-Calm e-mail list on the website
• SHARE this contest on Facebook
• TWEET about this b-Calm contest TWEET THIS: “I entered to win a b-Calm system for my child or student with autism or ADHD at http://b-calmsound.com/2/b-calm-give-a-way.html“ (Tweet this once a day for more points!)
  

EXTRA ENTRIES FOR MORE POINTS – 5 pt per entry/comment

• Take this chance to write about how your life has been changed by Autism in your blog. Write about your connection to a child or adult with autism. Be sure to share a special story about this person with everyone. Also include any experiences you have had with b-Calm Assistive Technology. Include the contest link to your blog post http://b-calmsound.com/2/b-calm-give-a-way.html

• Add the b-Calm badge to your blog site. Keep the button on your site for the duration of the contest to be awarded all of the points.

Badge code: <a href=”http://b-calmsound.com/”><img src=”http://b-calmsound.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Button-Badge-01.jpg” border=”0″></a>

The contest winner will be selected July 26^th and contacted by email. The winner will be posted on the b-Calm Sound website. Good luck!

A Parent’s Perspective

It can be beneficial for parents of children with Autism to hear directly from other parents what techniques or strategies they have used that helped.

Dr. Suzanne Bartlett has used b-Calm with her son John.  You may remember an earlier post about how b-Calm helped John at the dentist.  Now you can watch and listen as Dr. Bartlett talks about autism, her son John, and how b-Calm has helped.

Part 1:



Part 2:

My Friend John

My Friend John

John entered my life and my dental world at the age of 2.  Dr. Suzy (MD), John’s mom, brought John into my scary dental world with its noises, smells and bright lights with the hope that I would show John the same patience I showed to her at an early age also as my patient.

John’s success in my office came very slowly, sometimes at his six month recall simply handing John a toothbrush and telling him that he was my friend.

After approximately three years of slow patient care Grandma Barb brought John in for his routine care appointment.  I had been using the dental version of the b-Calm technology on my highly anxious patients and asked Grandma Barb if I could try the b-Calm unit with John (even though the ear buds were too large and had to be held in place.)  My heart literally jumped for joy as an agitated child was carried to a safe place as I for the first time “counted” John’s teeth.  I think Grandma Barb was pleasantly shocked at John’s successful dental visit.

This was b-Calm’s first step into the world of autism.  This spawned our very positive research findings with local state universities, and our autism conference in Des Moines, Iowa, as well as the exciting birth of Champions of Autism, a non-profit entity.

My life experience with John continued as John, Dr. Suzy and myself went to Dr. Ed’s office, an oral surgeon friend, for John to have some teeth extracted (due to lack of space).  Through no prodding from me John’s b-Calm’s unit was in Dr. Susie’s hand as we entered Dr. Ed’s suite.  Dr. Susie asked John if he wanted his b-Calm at which time John answered “of course”.  John was placed in the dental chair, surrounded by five adults, bright lights with no visual negative response.  He did react as we all would as an IV was placed in his hand.  The work was uneventful and Dr. Susie’s fears with John not being able to handle this experience were pleasantly forgotten.  Dr. Ed’s comments were that “normal” treatment of an autistic child would be IM sedation and then work would proceed.  He was pleased at the effectiveness of the b-Calm unit.

My life story with John continues.  I have been thanked by Dr. Suzy and Grandma Barb numerous times.  I do not think they believe me when I thank them for allowing John to be part of my life.  I look forward to be able to rejoice in his successes and truly thank God for allowing John to be a champion in my life.

-Dr. Ken Budke, Founder of b-Calm

Is b-Calm “Evidence Based”?

This is a question we get asked alot.  With all the voodoo and shams out there, the autism community has rightfully started to insist that treatments, therapies and other strategies be “evidence based”.  “Evidence Based” typically means the treatment in question is based on research that was conducted by qualified professionals (typically at a state university or hospital) and then was published in a peer reviewed journal.  Peer reviewed journals are publications where teams of editors or reviews will read and critique articles, reports.  If the research does not meet certain standards it will not be approved for publications.

Currently, b-Calm and AudioSedation research has not been published in a peer reviewed journal.  However, we have taken certain steps to build b-Calm on a reputable foundation:

• Current University Research Efforts

Research has been conducted and is ongoing in cooperation with education/autism faculty at a leading midwestern state university.  Early results strongly suggests that b-Calm and AudioSedation is an effective intervention for some students.  Final results are currently being compiled and we anticipate seeing the report published in 2010.

• Independent 3rd Party Trials

From its beginning, b-Calm was tested in by special education professionals (teachers, therapists, etc.)  In each instance, the evaluators were encouraged to choose participates at their sole discretion, and use AudioSedation as according to their own expertise.  to keep the study as independent as possible, b-Calm representative provided only minimal instruction and allowed to professional to guide the evaluation parameters.  To date evaluations have been overwhelmingly positive.  We continue to work closely with key evaluators in looking at how b-Calm is used and its effectiveness.

• b-Calm White Paper & Foundational Research

While b-Calm itself is not evidence based, the techniques employed do draw directly from peer reviewed, published research in both the US and Europe.  An internal white paper was written outlining this research and how it relates to b-Calm.  The white paper is available by request through our Contact Us page.

We will continue to build the reputation of b-Calm and we improve AudioSedation and conduct additional research.  If the mean time, feel free to Contact Us with any questions or comments.

b-Calm at the Dentist

A lot of folks are familiar with our noise control technology for ADHD and autistic students in the classroom.  But did you that b-Calm can also bring peace to your time in the dentist chair?

Many people find a trip to the dentist to be extremely disturbing.  The sights, sounds and sensations are quite unnatural and for many people this can induce a high levels of stress and outright fear.

Our work with noise control and the development of AudioSedation actually began in the dentist office when we found that we could marry our own unique blend of noise masking signals with calming and familiar sounds from nature.  It was after these successes that we took b-Calm to the classroom.

Patients have reported a greatly improved experinece in the dental office.  b-Calm offers a mental escape, and a reduced perception of the drill noise.  It’s a welcome diversion while sitting in the chair waiting for the dentist to come it and works well and covering the harsh sounds of ultrasonic cleaning tools.

If you’re a dentist or dental health professional, see our sister site www.b-calmdental.com to learn how b-Calm can be integrated into your practice.

If you’re a fearful dental patient, check out our online store www.b-calmstore.com and download your own AudioSedation files that you can take with you on your iPod for your next visit!

NEW! AudioSedation mp3 Downloads

b-Calm™ is proud to announce new products designed to bring AudioSedation to your home and school.

New AudioSedation™ Track

In addition to Summer Forest, Spring Rain, and Tropical Beach, b-Calm is proud to announce the addition of Sunday Drive to the AudioSedation™ lineup.  The special AudioSedation masking sounds have be mixed into the sounds of calm drive down the highway on a Sunday afternoon.

Downloads Now Available

AudioSedation™ tracks are now available for download directly to your computer in .mp3 format.

For ordering these and other new products, checkout the b-Calm Online Store

b-Calm as an Audio Intervention

I recently received an email from an autism strategist regarding the use of our b-Calm system in a class.  I thought that this is of special interest because it so well describes the student’s behavior before the b-Calm was introduced.

It’s these types of high noise situations where b-Calm is most useful:

I stopped by a classroom today and one of the students was having a rough time:  crying, biting himself, trying to leave group, hitting himself.  Stressed to the max.  He was also covering his ears with his fingers.  It was group music time.  This has been an activity that has not gone well in the past despite the fact that he loves music in other contexts.

I had my “personal” b-Calm system in my purse and I connected it to some larger headphones and put them on the student.  He smiled!  He wore them for the next hour and did not engage in any more self-injurious behavior for that entire time period.  He stayed with the group until music time was over.  He also did some 1:1 work with me.

We’re encouraged by these results and will be tracking the work with this and other students in the coming weeks as we observe b-Calm’s effectiveness over the long term.

If you’d like to try a b-Calm system in your school at no charge, contact us and we’d be happy to work with you!

Thoughts from the Diverse Learners Fair

A week ago Saturday (3/7) I had the opportunity to be involved with the Diverse Learner’s Resource Fair in Des Moines. This is an annual event sponsored by Heartland AEA and the Parent-Educator Connection. The event was held at the Botanical Center and there were approximately 75 agencies and service providers on hand for parents and professionals to visit with and learn more information. There were also a couple of workshops in conjunction with the exhibit hall that people could take advantage of at no cost. It was a great chance to meet with parents and professionals and introduce them to our product. There was definitely a buzz about the b-Calm system as people strolled by our table and more often than not stopped to listen to the tracks and ask questions. It was nice to be able to inform parents that we were in the process of giving schools free trials. A number of them expressed interest in having their child be a part of that. That was encouraging to hear.

I was also pleasantly surprised at the number of people who stopped and talked with me and mentioned they had heard about us and came specifically to our exhibit to get more information. Seems like word is getting out. So, thanks to those of you out there who are spreading the word about us and increasing awareness about the b-Calm. All in all it was very profitable to be at the event for the chance to meet people, network with other service providers, and increase our visibility. Thanks to the Parent-Educator Connection Staff at Heartland AEA for a job well done and a great event. If you didn’t make it this year, it would definitely be worth your time to take advantage of it next year. Lots of great information and resources for a great price – free.   We look forward to being a part of it again next year.

Look for us at the Autism Society of Iowa’s state conference on April 17.

James Boyd (because someone has to be the sales guy)

AudioSedation: What it is NOT

With any new tool for ASD or ADHD there can be alot of confusion as to what the intended purpose or method of effectiveness.  With so many different therapies, treatments and interventions, it can be confusing.

Currently, there has been considerable discussion surrounding Audio Integration Therapy (AIT) and Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT).  Some have found these strategies to be of value, yet there are those in the academic community that are divided as to the true effectiveness.

We want to be perfectly clear that the b-Calm system and AudioSedation are in no way intended to be AIT or SIT. Both of these therapies active seek to induce changes in biological processes.  Especially in regards to AIT, it is the goal to permanently correct possible faults within the brain.  This is not the aim of b-Calm and AudioSedation.

We encourage you to read our pages What Is It and FAQs for more information as to how b-Calm works.

We also strong urge anyone seeking to better address ADHD and ASD issues to work closely with qualified professionals to asses the best options for any individual.

If you still have questions, please call our office or email and we’d be happy to discuss the proper use of AudioSedation and answer any question you might have.

AudioSedation Hardware Announced

The final hardware has been chosen for the launch of AudioSedation!

After a long search, and rigorous testing by Special Education professionals, b-Calm and proud to debut the audio player and headphones that will be offered to bring AudioSedation to your student or loved one.

Headphone Features

• Comfortable Design
• Fits children and adults
• Excellent sound clarity

“iPod style” earbuds will also be included
Audio Player Features

• Easy to use simple controls
• REP and HOLD features
• USB Rechargeable battery

Each audio player and headphone set will come preloaded and ready to go with three AudioSedation tracks.

Check back soon for Pricing and Ordering Information!

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