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 or as a noun, “an individual socially withdrawn or removed from society,” or as an adjective, “being alone.”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 …
Orange Effect Foundation’s Things We Are Thankful For in 2020
There are many people to thank for the success we have here at OEF. I think it is best to just show you by the numbers. 10 Board Members - Each bringing a valuable set of strengths to the whole. They are the champions of the cause. 1 Program Director - There’s always the person behind the scenes who doesn’t get near enough credit. Sometimes they don’t even give themself enough …
My Top 5 Speech and Development Toys for Toddlers
The holiday season is quickly approaching and if you’re like me you may be doing your shopping online this year. That could be due to the pandemic, or time restraints that come with working and parenting, or simply because it is easier. That said, I am also a huge proponent of shopping local. So while the links below are to Amazon, please consider seeing if your local community toy store has …
Silence For Speech
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 …
