CLEVELAND - April 11, 2018 - PRLog -- An orange wave is taking over the country. After a March 2018 board meeting, The Orange Effect Foundation is proud to announce that since it began awarding grants in late 2015, the foundation has funded over 85 children in 17 states nationwide. The most recent set of grants, awarded in mid-March after a thorough application review process, provides 26 children …
Cavaliers Expand Accessibility For Fans With Sensory Issues
It's NBA Playoff Season (Go Cavs!) and whether you prefer to catch the game from your couch or are fortunate enough to have tickets to a game, several arenas have recognized that watching a pro game can be sensory overload for some fans. In fact, the Cleveland Cavaliers were the first to offer a sensory room in a U.S. sports facility in March 2017 (like I said, GO CAVS!) These rooms feature …
State of the Arts to Enhance Learning
The arts have always been an avenue to aid the development of all children. Teaching children how to express themselves and their emotions through artmaking is not new, as we spend more time with our children at home. The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) denotes that 'Art therapy' enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, …
Ultrasound Unlocks Articulation Roadblock
In this article published in the March 2018 Outcomes Magazine by the Harding University Center for Health Sciences, a speech-language pathologist shares a patient's breakthrough after ultrasound is used to map articulation. Lucie’s speech was atypical. In fact, it was like nothing that I had encountered in almost 20 years of practice as a pediatric speech-language pathologist. Lucie had been …
Music Therapy Moves Kids With Speech Delays
A German study published in 2010 revealed that music therapy helps facilitate speech development. If the German scientists could have spoke with Aristotle or Plato, they would have been told the exact same thing. Humans have been using music therapy for delayed speech since the time of the great philosophers. The result of music to encourage speech is an increased confidence in communication …
Caring For Siblings of Sick or Disabled Children
Recently, The New York Times featured an article that discussed the needs of siblings of a special needs or sick child. The author, Dr. Perri Klass, M.D., emphasizes the importance of communication and reminds parents that the illness should not be treated like a mystery. She also provides practical tips such as reminding parents to give one-on-one time to siblings and to maintain normalcy as much …
Recipient Spotlight: Charlotte
Four-year-old Charlotte used a speech-generating device to communicate for two years. Due to decreased fine motor skills resulting from cerebral palsy, the device became a source of extreme frustration. It now took Charlotte almost a full minute to locate and touch the screen on her device just to complete a single word. Charlotte needed a new way to a communicate. A visual tracking system …
Georgia Brothers On the Road to Communication
The Orange Effect Foundation funds speech devices like the ones described here. For more information on what we fund, please visit www.theorangeeffect.org. This article appeared on Dynavoxtech.com Eight-year-old James Ellerbee III likes to go for rides in the country, so much so that his mother likes to call one of his favorite roads “James’ Way.” James is also a fan of survival video games and …
To Siri, With Love
How One Boy With Autism Became BFF With Apple's Siri In this New York Times article, Judith Newman contemplates the relationship between Siri and her son with autism. She wonders whether Siri's "soothing voice and puckish humor" make her more worthy of his care and affection. …
The Orange Effect Foundation Makes The Season Brighter For Children With Speech Disorders
The holiday season glowed brighter for the 19 families that received Orange Effect Foundation grants in December 2017. Following a thorough review process, more than $56,000 was awarded to families in need to fund speech therapy and to purchase speech technology. Grants were awarded to children in Minnesota, Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, New York, Florida, New Jersey, Michigan, Missouri, …
Making the Best Investments for Your Child
From autism to stutters, there are many reasons why children experience speech difficulties. Support can come in many forms too, from grant-funded speech-easy devices to high-tech speech therapy innovations, but without a solid financial plan in place it can be difficult to cover the expenses of all the treatment that your son or daughter needs. While even considering the notion that we might not …
Living on the Spectrum and on Sesame Street
Julia, a Muppet with autism, was welcomed to Sesame Street in April 2017. She's an old friend of Elmo's but a new addition to the neighborhood. Watch the clip below to see her debut. For more information about why Sesame Street team created a character with autism, be sure to read this Smithsonian Magazine article. Written by Ron Suskind, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who explored life …
