A Calming Autism Therapy to Aid Caregivers and Teachers

Parents and teachers alike struggle daily to provide guidance to an ever-growing number of autistic children. They strive in teaching autistic children not only how to live in this world, but also how to survive on their own. A developmental disorder that affects the brain’s normal maturation of social and communication skills, Autism afflicts a person by prohibiting them to concentrate on even the simplest of tasks.

Observants of children with autistic spectrum disorders primarily notice difficulties with the autistic child’s use of verbal and/or non-verbal communication and with their ability to concentrate for an extended period of time. This hinders an autistic child’s ability to learn at what is considered a “normal” pace, for things such as sensitivity to light and loud noises can instantly detract their attention.

Autism intervention is integral in allowing those who need help take the next step towards improvement. Although not in all cases, it has been proven beneficial for autistic children to first receive autism therapy teaching specializing in communication and behavioral skills. Children with autism typically have many difficulties interacting with others, and can become unusually distressed for no apparent reason. By learning these primary abilities, autistic children are better equipped to transition to higher stages of learning.

Actually teaching autistic children and other special needs students can sometimes prove to be a very frustrating endeavor, requiring a great deal of patience and persistence. As many parents and teachers know, autism intervention for calming a child to the point of concentration is one of the most challenging aspects on a day-to-day basis. The autistic student’s lack of attention and inability to communicate effectively can make it difficult for any teacher to both manage a class and teach practical lessons at the same time. As an alternative to medication, many different therapeutic calming strategies have been tried and tested on people with autism within these sorts of classrooms.

There is some good news for those who are teaching children with autism. A simple yet innovative video to help with autistic distractions is making it easier than ever to calm and refocus rambunctious, distracted students.

David Cowan, a scuba diving instructor and videographer always loved the ocean and found it very relaxing. Diving was his hobby, and being immersed in the cool water while simultaneously surrounded by different underwater creatures helped him find peace and serenity in even his most stressful times. He knew that he wasn’t the only one who found peace in such a setting, and began filming his underwater dives; he wanted to make undersea videos that would act like a virtual dive for others.

When viewed by his family and friends, they were instantly calmed and gratified. His goal was achieved: his videos became a sort of digital aquarium. He discovered that the best use of this footage was for those who needed help with autism intervention. The distracted children became entranced by the peaceful fish swimming across the screen and the luscious sea ferns waving back and forth with the movement of the water. He discovered that his underwater footage was useful in autism therapy by acting as a transitioning strategy, and in many cases, a learning strategy.

Board Certified Behavioral Analysts have seen the digital aquarium videos motivate unmotivated and disconnected students and encourage vocalization and attention skills in nonverbal students. They have even seen an increase in conversation and topic expansion in adolescents with high functioning autism and other PDD-related disorders. These digital underwater adventures help young, rambunctious children transition from a very active and heightened state to a calmer, more structured level in less than 5 minutes, allowing them to focus on organized activities.

For teachers and parents, Cowan’s “Digital Aquarium” underwater footage has provided exactly what parents and teachers need: help with autism. The videos provide a portal for autistic children, allowing them to transition into a peaceful world where they can regain control of the symptoms they are frequently stricken with. Parents who play the videos for their children also recognize a similar calming effect in themselves, allowing them to better handle stressful situations in a calming matter.

These revolutionary films are available for caregivers and those teaching autistic children at http://calmingstrategies.net In case you have any doubts about the effectiveness of this behavioral management tool for autistic children, there is a 100% money back guarantee.

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Calming Strategies 2010

2009 was a wild ride for most of us, with events and disasters leading up to the close of this decade adding more stress to our lives. Average people develop their own coping mechanisms, some better than others, but for those with extra challenges, the present may just be nudging the “breaking point”.

Parents trying to deal with children with autism or other developmental disorders, people struggling to raise a family while coping with an elderly parent with Alzheimer’s or dementia, caregivers trying to manage their special-needs outpatients . . . these are common scenarios in today’s society.

The Digital Aquarium cannot alter the nature of the world we live in, but it can provide a few moments of peace in the chaos some of us have to face daily.

· The Digital Aquarium provides several hours of beautiful stress-free, plot -free video programming in a four-volume set of undersea videos set to soothing music.

· The Digital Aquarium offers a calming strategy for parents or caregivers trying to quiet or transition a child with autism spectrum disorder.

· The Digital Aquarium inspires a mood of tranquility and serenity for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s or dementia.

· The Digital Aquarium may provide that much-needed distraction and anxiety relief to people at early or middle levels of a panic attack.

Art and music have long been known to have a peaceful affect on the human psyche and, while the Digital Aquarium presents calming visuals and music, our ever-growing collection of photo art shows our world in images soothing enough to calm almost every person or any room. The rhythm of water has always infused our nervous systems with relaxation, lulling our spirit into a placid state. That is why so many fish tanks occupy doctors’ and dentists’ waiting rooms. The flow of fish swimming undersea, against a background of music and art, is a remedy for all but the most severe forms of tension and emotional distress.

The Digital Aquarium is a transitioning therapy for transforming agitation into inner harmony. It is relaxation therapy for the most challenging behavior, or for just the average person who needs a break from the high-tech fast-paced routine we all seem to suffer.

Our ambitious agenda for the Digital Aquarium in 2010 includes the launch of several products to help parents, educators and caregivers regain some control in their stress-filled days. We are hoping that our blog becomes a clearinghouse for ideas and information for the communities we serve. If you have thoughts, ideas or strategies for parents, teachers or caregivers please send them to info@thedigital-aquarium.net Especially if they involve video, music or art.

Please follow us on TWITTER at Calmingvideos or on our Facebook Fan page Calming Strategies.

Best wishes for a peaceful year ahead!

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Calming the Out of Control Moment

Every teacher or parent working with someone affected by Autism has watched with trepidation as his or her child has ramped up to an out of control moment. You fear that your child will get hurt, or that something will get broken. You are concerned about the disruption to the classroom or household. These are very difficult moments that cry out for some help.

Having had an opportunity to watch the “pros” the first thing you see is that they protect the child. As with general first aid dealing with seizures and similar events they restrain the child and protect them. In turn this will minimize damage to the physical environment. The next step is to calm the individual. This is usually achieved with an enveloping embrace either sitting in a chair or on the floor and engaging in some form of deep tissue massage on the arms or legs and generally coupled with soft, soothing talk or other sounds.

The final step is to appropriately redirect the child’s attention. This is where other stimulation may be appropriate. Music, artwork, photos, and video may all serve as a focusing point. Anecdotal reports tell us that the Digital Aquarium is very effective as a tool for redirecting the attention of a person engaged in challenging behavior. The beautiful undersea video and calming music is a great resource and calming tool.

David J Cowan Sr.
Creator-Producer of the Digital Aquarium
Jupiter, FL

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Transitioning Children with Autism

Transitioning from one activity to another is not easy for most of us, especially if we like what we’re doing at the moment. Inertia comes into play as well as other emotional factors. I work in a home office and often need to prod myself to go to work in the morning, especially if I am enjoying the activity of the moment. Imagine what that transition would entail if you were affected by autism.

Children and young adults with autism often have language challenges coupled with difficulties in recognizing the needs of others. The task of redirecting the attention of a child with autism from an activity they are enjoying to a less desirable one is often not easy. The challenges faced by parents, teachers and caregivers are daunting.

Jensen Beach Elementary School hosts the Martin County, Florida summer school program for autistic and special needs children along with the Peer Pals program developed by Board Certified Behavior Analyst Alanna Apap. Alanna has been integrating the Digital Aquarium undersea videos into the program for several years as a calming strategy and transitioning tool. During the summer of 2009 I was invited to visit the program and observe the interaction and response of the students to the soothing videos offered by the Digital Aquarium. What I saw amazed me. In one case I saw a group of approximately 25 middle and high school students engaged in an outdoor water activity. The kids were having a wonderful time, lots of running and splashing along with a water slide and tossing what appeared to be water balloons. The teachers and children alike were having a great time.

Imagine the challenge faced by the teachers when the activity was over and it was time to return to the classroom. Through an amazing feat of organization by the teachers and assistants the children were guided through the process of drying off and getting into dry clothing and eventually back to a moderately sized lecture hall. To say they were energized would be an understatement. Program schedules being what they are, it was time for a far more structured learning activity. To get the young people moving in that direction, the teacher in charge projected the Digital Aquarium undersea video onto a wall and lowered the lights a bit. Within 2 – 3 minutes the young people were calm, quiet and apparently totally engrossed in the undersea video and soothing music track that accompanies the video. The teacher let this proceed for approximately 5-6 minutes and then brought the lights back up and stopped the video. The class was orderly and ready to do something new. Later I had an opportunity to speak with the teacher and he told me that he had been incorporating these “Aquarium breaks” for quite a while and the process worked quite well between activities.

This is something that parents and caregivers could easily do at home to help themselves regain a bit of calmness in the daily routine.

by David J Cowan Sr
Creator – Producer of the Digital Aquarium
Jupiter, FL

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Gluten and casein sensitivities are typical in the autistic population. by Ziek Paterniti, LMT

Gluten and casein sensitivities are typical in the autistic population. In fact, recent studies indicate that as much as 80% of the general population has some degree of gluten sensitivity (in large part due to excessive hybridization of the wheat grains as well as a cultural over-dependence on wheat-based products such as bread, pizza, pasta, etc.). In the general population a gluten reaction could be as mild as a slight sinus headache and a “foggy headed” feeling, or may involve joint pain, intense headache, skin disorders, etc.

Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, oats, barley, rye & spelt. Apparently the gluten in oats is due to their handling in gluten-contaminated equipment and gluten free oats are available, but you have to look for them. Almost all processed and prepared foods contain gluten unless they are marked “gluten free” and even a tiny amount of it will cause a reaction in a gluten sensitive person.

Casein is a protein found in milk products such as cream, yogurt, cheese, milk, etc. Many people in the general population have casein sensitivities also, but in the autistic person’s nervous system, the gluten and casein molecules are converted to opiates and have an effect similar to that of using opium. In short, they get high – very high – and they like it. And you can imagine what effect that would have on their ability to socialize, learn, etc.

Because of this, many autistic people will have a very strong preference for – and may even only be willing to eat – foods that give them this reaction, such as cereal with milk, cheese sandwiches, cheese pizza, etc. The opiates they are accustomed to eating are highly addictive and if they are removed suddenly they can trigger extreme withdrawal symptoms. So be careful in making any sudden changes to your child’s diet.

However, many families have found that their autistic child (or adult) has shown significant improvements in cognitive function, language skills, socialization, etc. when these proteins are eliminated from their diets. In fact, many children have been completely “recovered” from autism from this single change alone.  It is important to take the change a step at a time and to be diligent in maintaining the diet.

It takes some effort to maintain a GFCF (gluten free & casein free) diet for our kids, but in the end, in almost every case – it’s well worth it. My daughter has been GFCF for eight years now and in my wildest dreams I wouldn’t even think of going back. It’s worth making the effort to learn about the diet and, once you start to see the changes in your child, you will find the motivation to press on, learn more, and press further.

Here are a few internet resources to get you going, but really if you put “GFCF Autism” in any search engine you will find enough resources to get you down the road, and then some. I personally recommend these to start with:

• Karyn Seroussi and Lisa Lewis have formed the Autism Network for Dietary Intervention

• There are some excellent yahoo groups, such as GFCF Recipes and Food Allergy Kitchen with tons of great resource material

• GFCF Diet Support Group and Nourishing Hope for Autism

Ziek Paterniti, LMT lives in Queens, NY with her husband Tony and her daughter Elena, who is 19 years old and severely autistic. Ziek is in her 23^rd year as a practicing licensed massage therapist, and has been passionately studying holistic health and wellness since her daughter was very young. She is now formally pursuing her BS in Holistic Nutrition through Clayton College of Natural Health and leads a bi-weekly wellness group in Queens. She will be accepting new clients (local or long distance) in her Wellness Coaching practice in January 2010. Ziek can be contacted by email at: ziek@mindspring.com © 2009 Ziek Paterniti, LMT

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