The links between our personalities, our voices, how we communicate, and the technology that helps us to do so are not always obvious—until you meet someone like Jeffrey Flanders. Jeffrey, 15, is funny, resourceful, and totally rocking the art of self-expression. He is chatty, though primarily nonverbal because of his cerebral palsy. Jeffrey warms up fast when he meets someone …
ORANGE EFFECT FOUNDATION AWARDS SPEECH GRANTS FOR WINTER 2022
The Orange Effect Foundation recently awarded $29,916 to nine children across the United States with speech disorders. This quarter’s grants were awarded after a thorough review process by dedicated members of the Orange Effect Board of Directors. This is the first quarter where the grant application process was fully digital. “Every quarter I am more and more motivated by the children that OEF …
The Orange Effect Foundation Awards Speech Grants For Fall 2022
CLEVELAND - Sept. 13, 2022 - PRLog – The Orange Effect Foundation recently awarded $38,000 to 13 children across the United States with speech disorders. This quarter’s speech grants were awarded after a thorough review process by dedicated members of the Orange Effect Board of Directors. This is the first quarter where the digital application submission system was in effect. While paper …
Kassidy’s Story
October is Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC) Awareness Month. For so many people, physical speech may be difficult or impossible. Kassidy's story is a perfect example of how an AAC device can change a life! The Orange Effect Foundation has awarded speech device grants to kids like Kassidy. If you know someone in need of a grant, please encourage them to apply. This article is …
I Stutter. But This Is What You’re Not Hearing.
We believe that speech is empowering. To this end, the Orange Effect Foundation has awarded technology grants that help children with a stutter increase their ability to communicate confidently and effectively. However, in an amazing opinion article by James Robinson featured recently in The New York Times, stuttering is viewed from an entirely new perspective. Please take a moment to watch …
It’s Never Too Late – Tips to Engage Teens in Speech Therapy
This post originally appeared in September 2020. We are reposting it here for those who may be considering speech therapy for their older children. When I pull up to pick up my teen from school, I’m a little shocked by the scene. The vast majority of peers stand solitary, their faces buried in their phones. It’s not just the students either. Recently, at a conference, while waiting for the …
With Cochlear Implant, Struggling Tot Now Thrives in Kindergarten
The Orange Effect Foundation has funded speech therapy for children who receive cochlear implants. Auditory-based therapy is essential for optimizing a cochlear implant recipient's speech, language, and listening skills. Learn more about cochlear implants and one child's journey from hearing loss to empowered speech and communication skills in this article reposted with permission from the …
Orange Effect Board Member Spotlight: Monica Gordon Pershey, Ed.D., CCC-SLP
Today's spotlight is on Orange Effect Foundation Board Member Monica Gordon Pershey, Ed.D., CCC-SLP. What do you do for your day job? I’m a professor at Cleveland State University in Communication Sciences and Disorders. I teach courses that prepare future speech-language pathologists, and I conduct research and write professional articles and books, mostly about children’s language and …
Dear Parents: Your Child With Autism Is Perfect
This thoughtful and very beautiful letter was written by New York Times journalist Madeleine Ryan. She shines a light on the wonderful responsibility it is to parent a child with autism. Writing that, "those on the spectrum are here to reclaim what it means to be authentic and truthful," Ryan conveys that autism offers so many lessons, including "what it means to be authentic and truthful." You …
Coming Soon to a Phone Near You
A new wave of accessibility tools Google and Apple have plans to make phones more accessible to people with disabilities. Tools for the vision impaired. Features for those with hearing loss or impairment. Learn more from this article in The Washington Post. …
Boy Overcomes Challenges of Being Diagnosed With Autism During Pandemic
Reposted with permission from the Cleveland Clinic. Smiling from ear to ear, 4-year-old Carter Smith loves making a grand entrance during his three time weekly visits to the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation. He calls caregivers in the facility’s Center for Autism by name and greets them with a hug. “Carter is so entertaining and has such a joyful …
Here’s How You Can Help My Son
He needs more than 'awareness' about autism. This article appeared in The Washington Post on April 7, 2022. Jackie Spinner is an associate professor at Columbia College Chicago and a former staff writer for The Post. At dinner last week, I told my 10-year-old son that his school would celebrate World Autism Awareness Day. My son was excited, mostly because he loves a party, …
