I really enjoy spending time with kids because they are so smart and so aware of the world around them. They generally are not judgmental (yet) and often so willing to try new things. The 5th Grade Class at Lakewood Catholic Academy (LCA) in Lakewood, Ohio is one such group. As a service project, they participated in our second annual Silence for Speech campaign to help recognize the …
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Being Grateful For the Little Things
We at The Orange Effect Foundation find it easy to be grateful. To be specific, we have 276 reasons to be thankful. Since December 2015, we have reached 276 kids in 34 states by purchasing 69 speech devices and 5,600 hours of speech therapy. 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 …
The Tide Is High
Vacation, in my opinion, is the best word in the dictionary. Before I was married and had a family, I would dream about traveling the world on elaborate vacations. I still have that dream every once in a while but have to admit my favorite vacation time now is a week at the beach. The planning and packing, which I still have yet to master, take some time, but there’s nothing better than …
Writing Excellent SOAP Notes for Speech Therapy: 5 Steps
Working with children and adults with a speech impairment is a noble endeavor. You can help hundreds of people overcome their speech disabilities if you dedicate your career to the cause. According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 5-10% of Americans have some form of communication disorder, with nearly 7% experiencing language impairment, aphasia being most …
Expanding Diversity and Fostering Greater Compassion in Speech Therapy
Here at The Orange Effect Foundation, our goal is to make a difference in the lives of children whose families cannot afford speech therapy or a device for communication. One of the things we love is learning about programs designed to help those who may not have access to resources many of us take for granted. Similarly, ASHA, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, recognizes the …
How Digital Platforms Have Made Speech Therapy More Accessible
Many American children suffer from a range of speech disorders, such as stuttering, dysarthria, and apraxia. According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, by the first grade, around 5% of children exhibit speech disorders. They can stem from multiple causes, like hearing disorders, developmental disabilities, or voice problems. Fortunately, speech …
The Need For Autism and Behavioral Specialists
The following is from an article in Onward magazine (the alumni magazine of John Carroll University), Fall 2021 edition. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the expected job growth for autism and behavior specialists is 19%, significantly faster than the average growth across all professions. Why? About 6 million people in the US alone have autism. However, there are currently …
You Just Don’t Get It
I struggle with communication. For the last almost 30 years (!) I have made a living as a professional communicator, yet here I am, admitting my struggle. It’s not all audiences that I struggle with. In fact, it’s an audience of one. One 12-year-old girl that happens to be my daughter. It seems to me that lately that it’s impossible to connect with her. She never seems to understand what I’m …
Silence for Speech 2021
It is officially fall and it’s officially time to mark your calendars for this year’s Silence for Speech event! After a successful 2020 fundraiser, we are excited and hopeful for another successful event. Founder and Executive Director, Pam Pulizzi, recalls, “We learned last year that most of the participants in Silence for Speech know someone with autism, apraxia, or other speech …
The Orange Effect Foundation Assists Families as a Funder of Last Resort
$30,000 in Grants Awarded to Fund Speech Therapy and Speech Devices for Needy Children Across the United States By: The Orange Effect Foundation CLEVELAND - Sept. 27, 2021 - PRLog -- The Orange Effect Foundation strives to empower children and young adults with the tools they need to communicate effectively. Continuing a generous quarterly grant award program that began in 2015, recently …
Teaching and Learning With Masks On
I had an amazing lunch with Dr. Lauren Calandruccio, a professor at Case Western Reserve University, who specializes in all things audiology. I learned fascinating things. For example, when she has one of her typical students try out a cochlear implant simulator in class, and she is teaching with a mask on, some students comprehend as little as FIVE PERCENT of what she is saying. I was shocked. We …
Learning How to Read: Free Online Materials for Children and Adults
For some children and adults with autism or other special needs, learning how to read can require time, patience, and support. Many caregivers, including parents and family members, teachers, tutors, and speech-language pathologists, can contribute to teaching children and adults to read. One of the questions that caregivers may ask is, “Where can I find good materials for teaching reading and …
