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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