b-Calm ASD and ADHD Resources Have Moved
b-Calm is proud to announce the launch of Champions of Autism and ADHD a non-profit group dedicated to providing services and support to Autism and ADHD communities in Iowa and beyond.
b-Calm will be working closely with Champions to bring real positive impact to those living and working with ADHD and Autism. To that end, the new website www.autismchamps.com has been launched to be an even better clearing house for information, support, and services.
To that end, we’ve taken the resource material previously found on b-calmsound.com and moved it to autismchamps.org. If there’s something you still can’t find, let us know and we’ll be happy to help.
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”.
School Tips for ADHD Children
School will be starting soon. While we’re looking forward to a new school year, there’s some fear too. It seems like it takes several months for a new teacher to learn what my son’s capable of…sometimes people just see the ADHD or believe that he misbehaves on purpose.
I was looking for a way to help my son in class and ran across these school tips for ADHD children. I plan on printing them out…I think they’ll help when I talk with my son’s teacher. You know, I think a few of them may even help me to get my son to clean up his room!
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.
Have you found a new use for your b-Calm System? Contact Us and tell us about it!
Quiet the Noise – 5 Easy Steps
Friends,
Firstly, I’d like to plug a website www.myexpertsolution.com For those who can’t afford to see a professional therapist one-on-one this is an excellent alternative, they’ve got top notch pros who cover a very broad range of topics.
I was fortunate enough to to have the opportunity to be interviewed by Dr. Rich Varlinsky who is on the panel of experts. Dr. Varlinsky specializes in stress and its effect on the human body. We talked a lot about noise in the environment around us and how it affects our mind and body.
Many people don’t realize that noise takes a physical and mental toll on us even when it is just in the background. The reason is, noise can act as a stimulant that kicks our body into stress mode; hormones are released, heart rate changes, etc. What’s more, even if an individual is able to mentally “tune out” the noise, their body may still be reacting and putting itself in this heightened state. Over time, this heightened stressful state takes a toll on the body. Academic studies have born this out with observations of irritable people in noisy factories, or low test scores from children in schools situated close to busy airports.
I just wanted to encourage everyone to take a minute and listen to the noise around them and consider how it might be affecting them. This is especially important for those with ASD and heightened sensativities to certain sounds. The good news is there’s simple things you can do to help the situation:
1.) Seal the Door
Even when a door is closed, noise and sound will find it’s way through the cracks. In fact, the biggest culprit to sound getting through the door is often the crack at the bottom between the door and the floor. Some simple weather stripping from the local hardware store, or even a rolled up towel laid at the bottom of the door will make a big difference.
2.) Soft Walls will Help
When sound bounces around a room (reverberation), the room will sound louder. If you spend time in a room with a cement floor, bare walls, and hard ceiling, noise will be a bigger problem. Acoustics engineer using fix this by adding something soft or plush to the room. A large rug on the floor, thick curtains on the walls, or cheap ceiling tiles can make a big difference.
3.) Ear Protection Works
They may not win any fashion awards, but a pair of earplugs or earmuff will go along way to protecting your hearing and your sanity if you have to venture into any loud environment. They don’t have to be fancy or expensive. Those cheap foam earplugs from your big-box store of choice will do wonders. Here’s the quick test: if you can’t sleep at the end of a day because of the ringing in your ears, then you’ve done damage to your hearing and should wear hearing protection next time.
4.) Some Noise is Good
Not everyone likes dead quiet. There are sounds that help us relax and focus. Waves on the beach or the sound of a gentle rain are sounds that people find enjoyable. Even more, these sounds can be used to block out the stuff that is irritating (what audio engineers call “masking”). Sometimes, a simple fan blowing air in the corner is enough, if not there are a variety of sound machines, noise maskers, and CDs to choose from. b-Calm has developed technologies that work to bring a robust version of noise masking, called AudioSedation, to individuals with ADD and ADHD.
5.) Think of Noise Like Pollution
Just as we look to avoid dirty air and polluted water, we need to look out for noise pollution. If you’re looking for a new home or apartment take a minute to walk around and listen for noises that you may not want to listen too every day. It’s easy to dismiss these things, but you may reget it later when the distant rumble of a nearby intersection keeps you awake at night. When possible, get out into the country and get away from the background roar of the city. An hour or two at your favorite state park will do wonders for your whole body.
Hopefully these ideas will help make your world a little quieter. It doesn’t take much to give your ears a break, and your mind and body will thank you.
Validation
One of the 10 Most Popular Articles of the Month of May at Additude is about the difficulties you’re faced with being the parent of an ADHD child. Our children are funny, smart, amazing, uninhibited, loving and loved. They are also exhausting! My neighbor has a 4-year old that is very much like my youngest son. On the go all the time, gets very upset if I interupt whatever he was actually focused on at the time. After a very trying day she asked me, “How do you do it?”. The validation felt good…but, “You just do. You watch them and wish you could bottle all of that energy.”
We love our children & don’t want to change who they are as an individual…its part of what makes them so special. A little quiet time is nice, though.
Please read Reasons Your A Great Mom. It’s not just for moms but for anyone in a parenting roll in an ADDer’s life. In the comments section, it’s mentioned that the best part is when your child thanks you for helping them. Getting a ‘Thank you’ doesn’t always happen when your child is young. My oldest recently reached adulthood and told me that he’d been thinking about it and that he wanted to thank me for all that I’d done to help him be himself — ADHD and all.
If you haven’t received a thank you from your child yet…it’ll come. I just wanted to say thank you, the world will be an even more amazing, wonderful place when our children are grown because of all you’ve done to cherish and help your child to be themselves! It’s exhausting, but also a joy!
Gifted with ADHD
It’s almost report card time. Does your child do well in school? Do you dread the teacher’s notes?
“Needs to work on organization”
“Needs to work on penmanship”
“If only he applied himself”
“Capable of more”
“Late Assignments”
“Daydreams”
If your child does well in school, has good grades, but you receive notes similar to those above; you may want to check out Does your Gifted Child have ADD (ADHD).
Know Your Rights
I’m continually impressed at how motivated parents and teachers are to be advocates for kids with ASD or ADHD. The love they have for their children or students and determination to see them succeed is amazing.
Part of being effective in that effort is knowing the legal aspects of a given situation. There are laws at both the state and federal level that may come into play in a given situation, especially when dealing with public school administration.
For those of us who aren’t lawyers, it can be extremely confusing to wade through hundreds of pages of legal code to get educated. Just recently, I found a website that make this much easier.
Wrightslaw.com exists to educate and empower special education adovcates. From their homepage:
Parents, educators, advocates, and attorneys come to Wrightslaw for accurate, reliable information about special education law, education law, and advocacy for children with disabilities.
I hope you can take a minute to check them out. Their information looks to be very substantive and effective!
Social Skills for Kids with ADHD
My son has problems socializing with other kids his age. He either stands on the sidelines or totally takes over. The Dos and Don’ts of Social Skills on ADDvance make a lot of sense. I can’t wait to try them out!
Different Types of ADHD?
My youngest son is constantly bouncing from one thing to another, it’s next to impossible to keep him focused on just one thing (except video games or Star Wars). He’s hyperactive with a capital “H”. It makes sense that he has ADHD.
But, have you ever wondered if your daughter could have ADHD? She’s sweet, and daydreams alot…sometimes the teacher asks if she’s had enough sleep because she almost fell asleep in class?
ADHD is considered a “Spectrum Disorder“, there are many types of ADHD. I found a site that shows a number of the different types, using familiar cartoon characters as examples. Take a look at:
