(Okay, okay, there really isn't a medical one.) “I would have never guessed he had autism.” “How long has he had autism?” “Is he cured?” I have talked with other parents a lot about these questions. They are a compliment mostly. If someone meets my son for the first time and can’t ‘tell’ he’s autistic that’s good, right? The whole goal since he was two years old was to provide …
Why I Am Grateful for Famous People Who Speak Out
I was recently sent this Yahoo article in which actress Holly Robinson Peete shares that her 19-year-old son is autistic. The article focuses on her advocacy which is so important in our society. It’s an unfair pressure to put on a celebrity, but one that, in this case, Holly has taken in stride. She talks in the article about the impact of the pandemic. Specifically, that her autistic …
“Symptoms” of Autism – A Focus on the Positive
I was writing a blog post about how autism is never cured. People with autism learn to adjust to societal norms and they learn, in a way, how to rewire their brain for themselves so that they can be successful. But they are never cured. In doing that research, I came across this image, one I had never seen before, and it blew me away. What a wonderful truth to be put into words. …
Raising An Autistic Son: Four Things I’d Change
This post was originally published on the Orange Effect blog on August 17, 2017. Due to its popularity, we are reposting it here for you. My son is a successful sophomore in high school and I wouldn’t change a single thing about him now. He was diagnosed with Autism at age two and received countless hours of speech and occupational therapy to get where we are today. Often as he goes …
Finding the Strengths in Special Needs
A friend shared a great article from the Washington Post with me today. It was one of those articles that as a mom, had me tearing up a bit. Additionally as a person who is on social media (at least reading, not necessarily posting) I was so surprised not to hear about this sooner. A young man, with the help of his Dad, created a profile on LinkedIn and after several drafts, posted a …
49 Reasons For Speech Therapy
I didn’t know, until my son needed speech therapy, that a speech therapist has to have a master’s degree and a state certification. Just last year, the rigorous 2020 Standards and Implementation Procedures for the Certificate of Clinical Competence were implemented. These eight steps required to maintain certification include 36 graduate semester hours, a minimum of 400 hours of supervised …
It’s Gonna Be All Right
I seem to be having a recurring conversation this month. Parents are concerned that their child is “falling behind.” At first, I spent most of the conversations reassuring parents that we are all trying to float on the same ocean during this pandemic. Then I realized that I didn’t have enough information. I really didn’t know what people were talking about when they were sharing their concerns. I …
Why I Am an Amanda Gorman Fan and EVERY Speech Therapist Should Be Too
Prior to January 20, 2021, I had never heard of Amanda Gorman. Add it to the long list of things I am not cultured about. One can only digest so much content out there in the world, but I digress. On January 20th, I decided to watch the inauguration. In addition to the momentous occasion of our first female Vice President, I’m a huge Garth Brooks fan, so I was delighted to see him walk out in …
iso·la·tion. It’s a sad, sad word.
How to know if it is affecting your child. According to Merriam Webster, the definition of isolate (verb) is “to set apart from others; also : quarantine.” or as a noun, “an individual socially withdrawn or removed from society,” or as an adjective, “being alone.” I remember about 15 years ago. I was a stay at home mom with two boys, one of whom was special needs, and my husband traveled a …
No Two People Handle a Pandemic the Same: A Covid-19 Story
Last March, when the pandemic really started to take shape here in Ohio (we went on a shelter in place order), this article came across my Facebook feed that made me laugh out loud. I immediately forwarded it to my son, who is the true summation of the people described in this article. I felt reassured because the article says: To prepare for the onslaught of the deadly disease, …
Speech Related Holiday Gifts for Preschoolers
Following our post about gifts for toddlers, we didn’t want to leave out their slightly older energetic counterparts, the preschoolers. You’ll see that in both posts many of the ideas can overlap ages. You’ll know what’s a good fit for the young one in your life. If you have any great suggestions to add please do comment! We love resources! At Home Scavenger Hunt. Any kind of scavenger hunt is …
Reflections on Silence For Speech Therapy
Quick background. Over the weekend of November 13-15, 77 people took on the challenge of staying silent for 24 straight hours. They did this in support of the Orange Effect Foundation. This organization gives grants to kids who need speech therapy or a tablet device in order to communicate. In all cases, the grant recipients' families are unable to afford the needed resources and insurance is not …
