It has always been my belief that communication is the most essential component to life and human relationships. Communication may be conducted in various forms, i.e., via verbal expression, body language, eye contact, sign language, written message, gestures, speech generated devices, text. To express oneself is half of communicating, while the other half is receiving or understanding …
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The Day I Almost Gave Up on Orange Effect Foundation
When the lockdowns started in March of this year, I thought it would be the end of Orange Effect Foundation. Like many not-for-profits, OEF relies on corporations and individuals who generously donate to the cause. Much of that stopped in March. At the same time, we weren’t sure if our biggest annual fundraiser, the Golf for Autism, could even happen. If it was cancelled, the majority of our …
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, …
Language Development: Everyone Needs Help
One of the things I loved the most over the past two decades as a parent is when my kids were in preschool and grade school, learning how to read and write. Most specifically, it was that window of time when they were learning phonetics and bringing home papers from school with the most hilariously misspelled words you’ve ever seen. It was cute, funny, and every single time it was phonetic …
Some Autistic People Can’t Tolerate Face Masks
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in sweeping changes to the way we live. While all of this takes considerable adjustment, change is especially challenging for individuals with autism. One challenge involves the use of face masks. For a multitude of reasons, wearing a face mask can be particularly difficult for an individual with neurology that makes them more sensitive to touch and texture. …
Choosing to Help
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always found self-worth and gratification in helping others. I blame my loving family for instilling this behavior in me. While we didn’t have the means to go on amazing vacations or have a lot of materialistic things in life, we never went without. Family gatherings had enough food to feed us, the neighbors, and their families all for months to come, and they …
Scenes From a Quarantine
So much has changed in just a few short weeks. I now share an office with a sixth grader. We work well together but tensions run higher when my other coworkers, two ravenous high schoolers, stop by our water cooler. A home gym has sprung up in my basement. Grocery shopping feels like an episode of Mission Impossible. I buy food in bulk and food is consumed in bulk. Speed puzzle races are …
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% …
Seeing People Wearing Masks
I had a couple of requests for a story about seeing other people wear masks out in public. I had been thinking about writing one because I live in Wisconsin and while many people are wearing masks in stores, not everyone is. Even as an adult, it felt kind of strange and startling to see people wearing masks. I'm SURE that our kids are feeling the same way. Once we talk about …
What Will They Call This?
Since all of this COVID-19 stuff has started, I have been wondering what “all this” will be called in the history books. Even as I am experiencing it, I am thinking about how this unprecedented time will be remembered, about how future generations will learn about the Coronavirus and its impact on our world. Will it be as simple as the “COVID-19 global pandemic,” or will the name …
Change a Child’s Life
“Change a child’s life.” Those words were the first thing I saw as I dejectedly walked out of the office of my undergraduate thesis advisor. He had just told me my summer research internship was cancelled due to lack of funding. This was going to be a HUGE opportunity for me as I was accepted to a joint program at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh to study the impacts of …
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 …
