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

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)

Here’s how it works:

1. Call b-Calm (1-877-782-2256) or email and request trial system for your school
2. b-Calm will pay to ship an AudioSedation system to your school for a FREE 2 week trial
3. If AudioSedation in not a valuable tool in your classroom we’ll pay the S&H to return the unit.

Our committment is simple, if it doesn’t help, you don’t pay a penny.  Call us today to see how b-Calm and AudioSedation can be used in your classroom!

First a bit of background information:

In the Fall of  ‘08 b-Calm donated the use of a prototype AudioSedation device to a small elementary school in a nearby school district.  We were prompted by comments from the parent of a young autistic boy that our AudioSedation sound tracks might be advantageous to ASD and ADHD individuals.

Immediately, our first evaluator saw excellent results.  We included some of her comments in a previous post.  With that feedback we launched a school district wide trail that saw b-Calm units go into 6 different elementary schools across the district.

Immediately we began to see very positive results.  With both ADHD and ASD students, teachers were able to quicly and easily put b-Calm to work and see increased student performance and participation in school activities.  The evaluation continues and we continue to receive very encouraging results.  While not all students respond to AudioSedation, it’s simple application and broad appeal have made it a valuable tool.

Back to the focus group:

The focus group this past Tuesday was the chance for b-Calm designers to hear first hand the results of b-Calms use in the elementary education environment.  Overwhelmingly, positive comments were received as well as suggestions for further features and options that would add to the effectiveness and ease of use.  Instances where b-Calm was ineffective were addressed and discussed.

Key Focus Group Comments:

Teachers found substantive improvement in attention to individual work for a majority of students.

Work with ASD students showed improved participation and reductions in behavioral issues.

The hardware provide was effective and easy to use.

Students were not stigmatized for their use of b-Calm in general education classes.

The key challenge posed to b-Calm engineers was to continue to improve and diversify the AudioSedation tracks so that they could better address the specific needs of autistic students.

We’re thankful for the opportunity to work with these teachers and will look forward to the additional feedback they can provide.  Be watching our User Reviews page for evaluation data as it becomes available!

from http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/teachingjeremiah (a great blog on ASD)

“He seemed to do better with these tracks playing in the background.  One afternoon, when we weren’t doing school, he was having a meltdown on the living room floor because he couldn’t be patient about going somewhere.  I hit the play button on the CD player and just walked away.  Ignoring Jerry’s meltdowns does not make them go away, as any Aspie parent can confess.  Within minutes though, he calmed and stopped ranting and just layed on the floor in front of the CD player listening.  Then he got up after a few minutes and went in his room to play with something else.  The meltdown was over!  I loved that.  Needless to say, I have a CD for the van now too and have even downloaded the tracks onto Jerry’s Mp3 player for travel.”

Other Comments:

 
He loves using it when he is asked to write anything.  While he is using it, his writing is actually legible, has meaning to it, and flows” – Special Education Teacher

These are just the tip of the iceberg!  We’ll keep you posted as the R&D work continues toward the full launch of b-Calm.  In the meantime, if you’d like to participate in our trial please send us an email!

Curtis Carroll
Product Development Engineer
b-Calm llc