I recently got an email from Playhouse Square, our local theatre here in Cleveland, announcing that they are doing a sensory friendly production of the play Frozen. If you aren’t familiar with sensory friendly productions, they are a dream come true for parents of kids with special needs. Sensory friendly movies, plays, areas of amusement parks etc., exist for kids who are easily overstimulated …
autism
100 Holes of Golf for the Third Year in a Row
For those of you who don’t know, the idea of doing 100 holes of golf in ONE DAY stemmed from Covid-19. We were trying to find a way to continue fundraising during the pandemic so we could continue to fund kids who need speech therapy. Mike Balzano came up with this brilliant idea. Personally, I am not passionate enough about anything to do it for 12 consecutive hours. Okay, maybe lay by a …
Autistic Kids Amaze Me
I often get on a rant about the negative effects of the internet, but it’s days like today where for some great reason my news is filled with things that just make me so happy. Take Anthony here, he loves cars. I mean not just loves cars but LOVES cars. I don’t want to spoil the video - but you will be shocked when you realize one of the cars is not a car… well, anyway, Anthony has some …
The Orange Effect Foundation Welcomes New Board Member
CLEVELAND - April 12, 2022 - PRLog -- The Orange Effect Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Dana Gore to the board of directors for a three-year term, which began on March 11, 2022. "The mission of the Orange Effect Foundation resonates with me," Gore said. "As the sister of a woman with special needs, I am especially aware of the challenges families …
How To Help Your Child With Autism Overcome a Speech Delay
Speech delays are common symptoms of autism. Reports from Spectrum reveal that about 40% of children with autism experience some difficulties with speech. Recent research found that most 4-year-old children with autism were unable to string together more than two words. That said, while scientific findings show that speech delay frequently manifests in autism, each child’s experience of …
The Orange Effect Foundation Announces First Quarter Grants for 2022
CLEVELAND - March 11, 2022 - PRLog -- Today, the Board of Directors of the Orange Effect Foundation approved grants to 15 children totaling more than $21,000. These grants advance the Foundation's mission to empower children with speech disorders by providing funds for summer speech camp, dedicated speech devices, and weekly speech therapy. "We've seen families who are …
So Many Wonderful Things in the World
I don’t know about you, but I find it really easy to succumb to negative news, to go down the “rabbit hole” of fear, sadness, or anger at things going on in society. You can read all kinds of posts about the negative effects of social media on mental health. It’s not a mystery. To top that off I live in an area that has had below freezing temperatures for a few weeks straight, so finding things to …
Women Are Autistic Too
Here at The Orange Effect Foundation (OEF) our focus is on kids and early intervention. In keeping up with all the latest research on speech therapy we come across a lot of interesting information. Recently, two articles were written on the same day by The Guardian. They focused on women who always knew there was something different about themselves but didn’t know what it was. Unfortunately, they …
SIMPLE Brand Shoutout
Matt Lyles of SIMPLE Brand Podcast recently highlighted The Orange Effect Foundation and interviewed founder Joe Pulizzi to learn about our mission and how to lend a hand. Joe discusses the evolution of the foundation and the wonderful opportunities it continues to create. It's a great conversation that we think you will enjoy. ENJOY THE EPISODE HERE Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on …
The Need For Autism and Behavioral Specialists
The following is from an article in Onward magazine (the alumni magazine of John Carroll University), Fall 2021 edition. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the expected job growth for autism and behavior specialists is 19%, significantly faster than the average growth across all professions. Why? About 6 million people in the US alone have autism. However, there are currently …
You Just Don’t Get It
I struggle with communication. For the last almost 30 years (!) I have made a living as a professional communicator, yet here I am, admitting my struggle. It’s not all audiences that I struggle with. In fact, it’s an audience of one. One 12-year-old girl that happens to be my daughter. It seems to me that lately that it’s impossible to connect with her. She never seems to understand what I’m …
Silence for Speech 2021
It is officially fall and it’s officially time to mark your calendars for this year’s Silence for Speech event! After a successful 2020 fundraiser, we are excited and hopeful for another successful event. Founder and Executive Director, Pam Pulizzi, recalls, “We learned last year that most of the participants in Silence for Speech know someone with autism, apraxia, or other speech …