America’s Favorite Past-Time Autism and baseball are a good fit for a number of reasons, starting with the slower paced team atmosphere, the plethora of numbers and statistics, and the open air setting. Baseball has been known as America’s favorite past-time for decades. As one of the most popular sports in the nation, there’s nothing quite like the experience of catching a game at your …
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13th Annual OEF Golf for Autism Amazing Success
It was the first Monday in August, 2007. It turned out to be the hottest day of the year, hitting 96 degrees with 90% humidity. It was also the first ever Golf for Autism, where 88 golfers and dozens of sponsors helped us donate $7,419 to Easter Seals. Now 12 years later, Orange Effect Foundation (OEF), which became its own 501(c)3 in 2014, has generated well over $300,000 through the OEF Golf …
Life is a Balancing Act as a School SLP
I have a rare blood type that only 3% of the population has. I'm AB+. The Red Cross calls me often to donate my "rare blood." I put it on my to do list and schedule a time. Sometimes I can end up making it to the appointment and actually donating. I've had other times where I show up and there has been over an hour wait even with an appointment. I've had to leave …
Causes & Treatment of Infant Hearing Loss
Infant hearing loss affects approximately 2-3 out of 1,000 live births (NIDCD). Causes of Infant Hearing Loss Childhood hearing loss can be divided into 3 categories: Conductive Hearing Loss – occurs when sound is not conducted through the outer or middle ear properly. It can often be treated medically. Examples include: wax buildup, ear infection or perforation …
The Three Month Rule
Today I was interviewed by a graduate student who was doing research on autism, parenting, and all that jazz. One of his last questions was, "What would you tell a new to autism family or just any family that maybe just needed some inspiration?" So I told him the secret of my sanity. (No, it's not wine.) It's wait three months. Three, just like Schoolhouse Rock taught us, is the magic …
The Importance of Speech
I had a wonderful spring break, thanks for asking. This year, we went big. We took the girls to Costa Rica for a whole week. Surfing and boogie boarding, zip lining, beach hikes, horseback riding, the works. Super adventurous? Aside from the anxiety of international travel with two sub-ten year olds, not really. We were in a town called Tamarindo. Known for its beaches and howler monkeys, it’s …
Summer Camps Increasingly Popular for Speech Therapy
Summer is traditionally the time when wedding planners go into overdrive mode and parents look for summer camps for their rambunctious youngsters. Summer camps used to mean dusty cabins, trips to the lake, and marshmallow roasts. These days, summer camps are hiring therapeutic staff right along with canoeing instructors. Specialty summer camps to meet the needs of children with disabilities are …
Great Apps to Practice Speech Sounds with Your Tween
Learning and practicing how to correctly produce their “r” or “s” sound is certainly NOT what 8-12-year-olds want to be doing! Most would prefer to be playing video games or riding their bike. One way to make speech therapy and at-home practice a little easier is to use an app. These apps could be on the parent’s phone, the tween’s phone, or a family iPad. A favorite app of …
How I Successfully and Happily Fly With My Son
I travel fairly regularly and my son goes just about everywhere I do. I have learned several things along the way that help make everyone’s day (especially mine) significantly better! First, contact TSA Passenger Support according to their website. "TSA Cares is a helpline that provides travelers with disabilities, medical conditions and other special circumstances additional assistance during …
Orange Effect Foundation Expands with Addition of New Board Members
CLEVELAND - June 25, 2019 - PRLog -- The Orange Effect Foundation is proud to announce that more than $50,000 was awarded to needy children in June. Grants will send children to summer speech camp, purchase speech-generating devices, and pay for almost 500 hours of speech therapy. As depicted in the map below, the Orange Effect has spread across the United States, …
Checking Life’s Milestones Off The List
Do you do that? Do you keep a mental tally of the things you hope your child will successfully do and give yourself a pat on the back when they accomplish something? I sure did. Maybe it’s because they (doctors, society) harbor on it so much during a child’s first year. Did hold their head up, roll over, sit up, crawl, stand etc.--all within their first twelve months of life. Yikes that’s a …
Does Your Autistic Child Do That?
I love seeing the differences in my two sons. I am so blessed that they are best friends (knock on wood that sticks forever) and I know I am lucky that they do get along so well. In part, I think that is due to Joshua’s autism. He doesn’t see the value in arguing over very much except maybe iphone versus everything else. I started to wonder if his laid-back temperament was really due to his …
