Today's Kool Idea: (Autism Awareness Month) Baby BumbleBee DVDs

Each April since the 1970's, the goal of Autism Awareness Month has been to educate the public about this complex developmental disability. Autism is one of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The CDC reports that approximately 1 in every 166 children born today will be diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. This is an 885% increase in the number of children born with ASD ten years ago. With these staggering statistics, it's no wonder that autism has been reported to be one of the fastest growing childhood disorders in the nation.

While we at The Daily Kool in no way profess to be experts on autism, we are among the millions of Americans who have had their lives touched by at least one family with an autistic child. It is our understanding that despite the complexity and range within the Autism spectrum, speech delay seems to be one of the more common symptoms. In many cases, is often a challenge for parents to find appropriate materials to engage, educate and motivate their autistic children to increase their verbal expression.

In our research, we came across a special collection of educational videos from Baby BumbleBee. Though the collection was not specifically created for children with autism, parent and teacher feedback revealed its usefulness for children with speech delays. Baby BumbleBee DVDs, particularly the Vocabulary Builder™ and Action Words!™ videos, use paired associative learning – a scientifically well established teaching method. The company estimates that 85% of children with speech delays benefit from these award-winning videos. The Vocabulary Builder™ in particular was a 1999 Parents' Choice Award Winner and recipient of an "A" rating from Parenting Magazine. The Baby BumbleBee DVDs are low-stimulus, their intentionally slow pace perfect for keeping the attention of children with speech delays. Plus, they feature calming classical music which many children with autism seem to enjoy.

In honor of Autism Awareness Month, we implore all of our fans to take a few moments to learn how you can support and spread awareness in your community. Though there is currently no single known cause or cure, autism is treatable. Children do not “outgrow” autism, but studies show that early diagnosis and intervention can lead to significantly improved outcomes. With "kool" products like the Baby BumbleBee DVD series to help foster verbal expression, children with autism can grow up to live full, healthy and meaningful lives.

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