I truly believe that family is a top priority. Many friends will tell you stories of my “family first” mentality. For me, my family includes my girlfriends. They are my rocks. They have gotten me through so much it’s truly indescribable. I think of them as heroes. They work hard, play harder, and parent like the amazing women that they are. So, as Mother’s Day approaches they are on my mind. They …
Do You Have Any Regrets? My Story With an Autistic Son.
I love connecting with parents. I have a soft spot for parents who recently had a child diagnosed with a special need. I tell them to focus on the special, and not on the need. The question I get asked the most is if I have any regrets, or anything I would do differently. I know why they ask and I don’t mind at all. Why reinvent the wheel they are thinking. Tell me how to fix this ASAP. …
The Orange Effect Foundation is Expanding!
As we begin our fourth year of independent operations, we are overwhelmed by the need for speech therapy and speech generating devices. Research shows that children with any speech delay or disorder have a higher chance of success with early intervention. Yet, every day we see children denied health insurance benefits that would help them achieve their therapy goals. At our first quarter …
Help! My Child Isn’t Motivated for Speech Therapy!
We started speech therapy for our son when he was two years old. Because he was autistic, and loved his routines and familiarity, we found someone who was willing to complete the sessions in our home. Still, it took months before he would participate in the activities or cooperate at all as he always had his own agenda! I’ve run into other parents who have had similar experiences, but many go …
Autism, Speech Therapy and Minecraft
Today a photo popped up in my Facebook memories that actually caused me to have a true emotional gasp! Look at the big genuine smile on those boys! That’s Adam on the left, and Joshua on the right. The photo was taken 5 years ago at Minecon - yes, that is right - the convention for Minecraft! Minecraft had a lasting impact on our family - so much so that one of my husband’s most popular …
To Declare or Not to Declare a Disability
Joshua, the subject of many blog posts, and driving force behind the building of the Orange Effect Foundation, applied for an internship for next summer. I’m super excited about it, although I think the position is for college students and he is only in high school - but still, take a shot, right? During the application process Joshua had to do several things including write a poem - pictured …
Schools and Parents Don’t Always Agree On the Best Route for Kids: What Can You Do?
In this final post in our series, we ask the experts a really tough question and they do not disappoint with their answers. It is important to note in this post that procedures for diagnosing a child as well as getting help in school may vary by state, or in some cases, even by school district so it’s important to talk to someone local! What can you do when your child's school does not agree …
Being Grateful For the Little Things
We at the Orange Effect Foundation find it easy to be grateful. We have over 100 reasons to be thankful. In 2018, we have funded speech therapy for over 100 children across the United States. We are making a difference. We are grateful to all our sponsors who help make this happen. To show how far the gratitude goes, here is what some of our Orange Effect grant recipient families are thankful …
Is it Ever Too Late For Speech Therapy?
Continuing in our series of blog posts answering some of the FAQ’s we get here at Orange Effect Foundation, we have reached out to our experts today to find out if you are ever too old to start speech therapy. We started the series last month by asking how these amazing professionals can do work with toddlers. We know that not all kids hit their milestones at the same time but our experts were …
Content Marketing World Recap
The first week of September I had the unprecedented honor of being an attendee at the event Content Marketing World. Those who know a bit about my history know that I have worked at the event the first seven years, so being an attendee and not working was definitely a new experience. I had such a wonderful time. I could write an entire blog post about how amazing the event is and how much I love …
Can Technology Really Help With Speech Therapy?
This is our second in a series of asking the professionals for information based on their experience in speech therapy. In the first blog post, we asked them if you can really perform speech therapy with toddlers. In this post we ask a question that I personally get asked a lot. My son was just shy of the major technology boom. Knowing his personality and how easily he adapts to electronics, I …
Could I Be The Luckiest Girl In The World? An Autism Story.
The first Monday in August has been a huge day for our family for the past 12 years. It is the day of our annual golf outing fundraiser. It started because our son received early intervention and was starting out in a regular education classroom. At first the goal of the outing was simply to give back, so we paired with the amazing group at Northeast Ohio Easter Seals and all our profits from the …
