When a person first meets me it often does not take long before they learn I am an avid dog lover (some would say my love borders on obsession!). Bring up a dog in conversation and you have my rapt attention. I also am an intervention specialist for preschoolers diagnosed on the autism spectrum. I am very passionate about my profession and would not want to teach any other population of …
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What Do You Do If Someone Teases You For a Speech Disorder?
People are teased for lots of reasons, none of them compassionate. Sometimes it’s for things they can (we assume) control. We justify it by saying they could change their behavior or haircut or style of dress. Or we blame it on how they respond to teasing: if they took it with a sense of humor or didn’t overreact, the teasing would stop. All but the least empathetic of us, however, find it …
Orange Effect Foundation Reaches Milestone 5,000 Hours of Speech Therapy Grants
CLEVELAND - Dec. 16, 2020 - PRLog -- It is fitting that in addition to celebrating the fifth consecutive year of awarding grants for speech therapy and speech devices, the Orange Effect Foundation celebrates another exciting milestone. The Orange Effect Foundation has now funded 5,000 hours of speech therapy for children throughout the United States who otherwise would be …
Different? Not At All
Who’s different now? Watching an autistic grandson grow up, there was no question that in his preteen years, especially until the age of around ten, he was definitely different. He was different in that he did not look you in the eye or look at you at all when you talked to him, although he definitely was listening and understood what you were saying. His reactions to you were simply …
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, …
How to Get Special Needs Children Started in Investing
As a father of a son on the autism spectrum, I was always looking for ways to interact with my son outside of his ongoing speech therapy sessions. Like many children on the spectrum, my son was fascinated with toys like LEGO bricks, but also with numbers. Since I had a passion for investing myself, I believed that would be a perfect area to bond, as well as learn, with my special needs’ …
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 …
It’s Not a Coin Flip
Earlier in 2020, I assisted in planning, as well as participated in the 1st Annual Orange Effect Foundation one-day 100-Holes of Golf marathon fundraiser. In the build-up to the marathon, OEF Co-Chairman Joe Pulizzi and I were interviewed by Northeast Ohio Sportscaster Tony Zarrella about the event, the foundation, and what we were hoping to accomplish. One question sort of stumped me, and it …
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 …
10 Most Common Speech-Language Disorders
As you get to know more about the field of speech-language pathology you’ll increasingly realize why SLPs are required to earn at least a master’s degree. This stuff is serious – and there’s nothing easy about it. In 2016 the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders reported that 7.7% of American children have been diagnosed with a speech or swallowing disorder. That …
The Challenges of Remote Learning for Children Who Stutter
Virtual learning presents a host of problems for educators and students alike. However, these challenges are compounded for children with communication disorders such as a stutter. The New York Times recently addressed this topic and offered some useful suggestions for everyone in the online classroom. For example, experts suggest waiting seven seconds after asking a question to give children time …
