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This comes in the form of very gentle vibrations delivered to each side of the body. The body feels the vibrations and the brain receives the signals from the left and right stimulation – this allows the neurological pathways to connect. But why do we need this to happen? Look at the evidence below to show how the technology helps to reduce beta waves (stress) in the brain using Touchpoints. MANY OF YOU WILL BE THINKING – BUT HOW DOES THIS APPLY TO ME OR MY CIRCUMSTANCES? When you ask someone to think about the impact of disability and the lives of individuals affected by it, most people will think of issues relating to access – summoning up images of wheelchairs users, perhaps of those with dexterity issues or often learning disabilities. Although it is great that people are beginning to recognise that not all disabilities are visible, there is still some way to go. Touchpoint Europe recently exhibited at Kidz to Adultz Middle in Coventry. During these events it was great to see so many people had come to see what the industry has to offer in terms of support for disabled living. It became apparent during our discussions that irrespective of the nature of the disabilities people had, they could cope with the physical challenges presented by their disability – but what was needed was more support on a mental health and emotional level. The most common feedback was how people often got stressed, often became anxious about certain scenarios and sometimes becoming angry. One specific example of Touchpoints helping saw the devices used in a school in South Wales where the diagnoses of the children included Autism and Global Developmental Delay and different problematic behaviours were tracked per the individual child. In one child during a 1 week observation period, lying on the
floor and screaming occurred 27 times and 67 times without the devices. With Touchpoints this reduced to 6 times and one time respectively. In another child, the number of incidences of head banging was observed 273 times without the devices and 18 times with the devices. Ali Rodenburg BA(Ed)Hons, MDip, the principal researcher, commented that introducing TouchPoints to the school yielded “an extremely positive impact on pupils who have limited ability to explain how they are feeling and communicate their frustrations.” Every child who used TouchPoints “has displayed a reduction in their visible anxiety/frustration.” Overall, there was an average reduction of 72% of problematic behaviours. “This is outstanding and has huge potential,” she added. “The impact on wellbeing and maintenance on inner calm is overwhelming.” The school plans on continuing to use TouchPoints with more of their students. We mentioned the ‘white coats’ earlier, here we have some words following the findings at the school from Dr. Amy Serin, inventor and Chief Science Officer at Touchpoint who commented, “When you understand how the BLAST technology in TouchPoints works, you can predict what behaviours will spontaneously change when they are applied in individuals who have difficulty regulating for a variety of reasons. We are looking forward to more data as there are several research institutions
and schools around the world currently conducting studies using TouchPoints to examine their effects on stress, sleep, performance, pain, and behaviour.” As individuals or carers we can all recognise that at certain times, or in certain situations those with assisted living needs can experience periods of upset or experience real challenges in their lives. Knowing where and when these happen gives us a real advantage when using Touchpoints - this could be taking a trip to the Doctor or having a deviation from a routine for example. Here the devices can be used before such a situation to calm the individual down on the run up to the event, easing anxiety. Worn during the event itself, the devices can reduce the emotional response in real time. And after the events of the day, Touchpoints can also assist with sleeping – we all lay in bed at night thinking about the events of the day and worry about what tomorrow may bring – using the same calming technology, worn before bedtime Touchpoints can help the user to fall asleep and stay asleep. Please visit the Touchpoint website at www.touchpointeurope.com to learn more and use code for readers KTA25 to get 25% off the online prices.
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