SPD And Mobile Computing Apps

This is a departure from the “Strange Sounding Music” thread of previous newsletters.

My development partner Tibor Horvath and I spoke at the Touch Technology Applications conference in St Louis in mid September, given by ABA Consulting Services of St Louis. The presenters were all concerned with the application of mobile computing technology in the treatment of brain injured children, primarily those on the autism spectrum.

Most of the apps presented were communications programs. Various PECS (Picture Exchange Communications System) and flash card systems dominated the fields, along with more sophisticated communications apps that were capable of speaking words, phrases and full sentences for the child. There were also programs to help kids on the spectrum learn to cope with social circumstances. Marc Zimmerman’s The Social Express looked especially good. Please find it at http://thesocialexpress.com.

However, Tibor and I were absolutely alone talking about Sensory Processing Disorder, Auditory Processing Disorder and the use of music, video games and apps to help children cope with these debilitating disorders. One gentleman who was an advisor to schools was somewhat amused by our work. He had never heard of EASe CDs, or listening therapy at all, and he was an “expert”. He even challenged me over whether or not something like what we were doing would ever gain ground against the tide of “traditional” therapies.

Almost on cue, a therapist walked up and began exclaiming her delight with EASe CDs and how thrilled she was that we were developing software to help hurt kids. Shortly after that a young couple approached us to tell us how well their child had done with EASe CDs, that they had researched the EASe games and were going home to use them. Our skeptic became a convert after a few minutes discussing SPD and APD and the 10,000 therapists using EASe CDs. Overall, we had a half dozen therapists and a group of parents search us out to give us a thumbs up on our work. I felt great. That is until we gave our lecture.

My part of the lecture was about the long path that I had taken to develop the EASe CDs, my observations of the kids who were tormented by SPD and APD, and how we were helping them cope with noise and other sensory disorganization. The lecture went well and we finished to a line of people waiting in the hall to talk to us. One woman waited patiently until I moved over to her and she thanked me for our lecture. She told me that no one had ever described her son as well as I had during my lecture.

I was feeling pretty self satisfied until she told me that her son was 19 years old. I was nearly overcome with disappointment. All I could imagine was this beautiful mother and her tormented son spending the last nineteen years going from therapist to therapist looking for an answer to his problems, and not finding what was just over the hill from them. I told her about the adults who have recovered from APD using EASe CDs, after a tumor removal or other adult brain injury.

But I’m afraid it was far more consoling for her than me. All I could imagine was the years of a happy life that her son had missed by being overcome with sensory processing challenges since his birth. All the hugs and kisses and joys of a sensory life that we, the lucky neuro-typicals take for granted. The warmth of the sun on our skin, the bright blue sky, the gentle rustle of leaves, the smell of a cooking turkey and the taste of ice cream, all lost in a chaotic, debilitating cacophony of sensation.

And now I understand that some don’t even believe that SPD even exists. All I can say is there is still a lot of work to be done.

www.easecd.com
EASe Listening Therapy products are easy-to-use, simple and safe tools to help parents, occupational, physical, speech and listening therapists, help children challenged with SPD, central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), and developmental issues manage noise, improve organization, sensory modulation and proprioception.

If you are a therapist, teacher, or reviewer and would like to know more about EASe Listening Therapy, please contact us at bill@vision-audio.com.

EASe Listening Therapy apps are available in three versions – EASe Lite, EASe Personal and EASe Pro.

EASe Lite ($.99) is a demo with one song and full functionality except for audio import. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/electronic-auditory-stimulation/id472604387?ls=1&mt=8

EASe Personal ($39.99) (New edition!) includes a simple to use version of the EASe app and a 60-minute module of instrumental music, enough to complete a ten-hour EASe Listening Therapy program. The EASe Personal app is the parent tool in an EASe Personal/Pro system and can now import additional EASe Music Modules from either an in app purchase or from the www.easecd.com web site. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/electronic-auditory-stimulation/id472591104?ls=1&mt=8

EASe Pro ($99.00) includes the fully functional EASe therapist app including a 60-minute module of instrumental music, and is able to import specially prepared EASe Music Modules. EASe Pro is the therapist hub of an EASe Personal/Pro system and can communicate with parents EASe Personal apps via email. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/electronic-auditory-stimulation/id461769387?ls=1&mt=8

Phone 410-375-6823. Web http://www.easecd.com email bill.mueller@gmail.com