Can You Go 24 Hours Without Talking? Here at the Orange Effect Foundation we know that some people go their whole lives without being able to verbally communicate. Our mission is to provide early intervention for children who have speech issues and help them communicate. One in nine children need some form or speech therapy. Often families cannot afford it, and insurance coverage is …
Navigating Our New Normal
I had (socially distanced) coffee with a mom last month who reached out because she couldn’t decide if in person or remote learning would be best for her autistic daughter. As we got to talking she mentioned that they had to stop speech therapy because of the pandemic. I was surprised her SLP (Speech Language Pathologist) hadn’t offered online sessions. The mom admitted that she didn’t really …
The Story of Adam (A “Typical” Kid)
It makes sense why I talk about Joshua all the time here on the Orange Effect Foundation blog. After all, he is the reason the foundation even exists. If you need some quick background, check out this post. Rarely however do I talk about Adam. That’s a shame because he played such an integral role in Joshua’s success. Additionally, he’s a really cool kid. Joshua is older than Adam by …
Keep Kids Happy? Keep Kids Safe? One Parent’s Struggle
I am a Mom. Just an average every day Mom. I have things I think I do pretty darn well and I have things that I have definitely dropped the ball on. That said, I am happy, and I think my kids are happy, and I am elated with the young men I’ve helped to shape. You’ve probably heard it yourself. Parents will say, “I just want my kids to be happy.” Deep down we want them to find love and be …
Autism In a Picture
Many years ago the kids and I walked in a 4th of July parade in our community with the early childhood PTA we belonged to. It was sincerely one of the hottest days of the year and we were all melting by the time it was done. We ended up inviting some of the other members of the PTA who had walked in the parade to come to our house because we had an above ground pool for the kids to cool off. That …
Mama, Dada, Goodbye
I recently watched a new Jerry Seinfeld special in which, like many good comedians do, he covered a plethora of topics. One of his bits focused on babies. The claim made was that babies were only here to oust older folks. He has lines simulating what the baby is thinking like “who’s going to be wearing the diaper next?” To prove his point that babies are here to replace us “older” folks, …
The Orange Effect Foundation Grant Application Process
Here’s a summary of what we do and how we do it for those of you thinking about applying and wondering how the process works. Applications are reviewed quarterly. You can mail them anytime, but the deadline to be included in the review means having your application postmarked on/by the 15th of the month that it is due (February, May, August, November). Applications must be 100% …
Consistency During a Lockdown
These times are unprecedented. Many of us are just going day-to-day making sure we brush our teeth. That’s okay. One day at a time has never had more meaning. I’ve heard from a few parents whose children receive speech or occupational therapy. They are distraught because they know how important consistency is, but they are following the rules and staying home to stay safe. They are asking …
Change is Hard. Change is Scary. Change is Good.
This post originally appeared in the monthly Orange Effect Foundation e-newsletter. It’s February. Here in Cleveland that can often mean a lot of time at home because the weather can be so cold and the skies so gray. For me that means the new year's resolutions start wearing off. Exercise becomes less frequent and dessert becomes more frequent. I tried to do some reading on …
Why I Wanted Vaccines to Cause Autism*
*Controversial Blog Post Title On Purpose Last year, yet another study of over 650,000 kids showed no link between vaccines and autism. This article from Business Insider is thorough in the review of the study and the reason it is so important--mainly because we need to vaccinate kids. Parents who fear that vaccines cause any form of birth defects are not getting their children …
We Spend a Lot of Time Waiting. One Mom’s Thoughts.
I’m starting this post during the holiday season (you’re reading it after). I tried this year to shop small and shop local, so I’ve been standing in a lot of lines. It got me thinking about time and how much waiting one person might do in their lifetime. It could be waiting for a friend to show for lunch. Waiting for a call from a loved one. Waiting for a store to open to get a limited edition …
Highlighting Orange Effect Kids
As 2019 has come to a close we want to share with you just a few of the amazing kids that we have been able to help because of you. Liam Age 5 His family’s insurance covers less than two speech therapy visits a month, but 2x/weekly sessions were recommended by his therapist. OEF helped close that gap. His family is over the moon with his progress with the additional …
