My son is a successful sophomore in high school and I wouldn’t change a single thing about him now. He was diagnosed with Autism at age 2 and received countless hours of speech and occupational therapy to get where we are today. Often as he goes through life’s milestones, I reflect back on how much we have learned and how much our family has grown. Along with that, I often think about things I …
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Orange Effect Golf for Autism 2017
Life: An Unpredictable Journey
The following is a guest post from 15-year-old Joshua Pulizzi. Joshua is the son of co-founders Pam and Joe, and the inspiration behind the Orange Effect Foundation. At age two, Joshua was diagnosed with Autism. For a high school writing assignment, Joshua wrote a self-comparison to the character, Odysseus, from The Odyssey. We think his response provides insight into how some of his thinking …
At Airports, Making Travel Easier for Autistic Passengers
For Gearoid Mannion and his wife, Michelle, who live in County Clare, Ireland, air travel with their two autistic sons, Conor, 9, and Darragh, 7, is usually nothing short of a nightmare. The noise level, crowds and announcements at airports overwhelm the boys, and waiting in security and boarding lines is a concept that they don’t understand, Mr. Mannion said. “They get red in the face and start …
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time (and Chairs)
I love the theatre. I have learned though, that in order for me to actually go, I need to subscribe and commit to go on a regular basis. Can you relate? I won’t buy one-off tickets even with the best of intentions. Our Playhouse Square in Cleveland has an amazing Broadway Series that is great for this. I often call them my “seven dates per year.” There have been many times that I’ve arrived at the …
A Simple List to Help Parents of Children with Special Needs Find Calm
I have an adult son with special needs and it’s sometimes a struggle to organize our complicated lives and communicate needs and concerns to the many people involved in my son’s care. That’s when I use lists — best-of lists, top 10 lists, checklists in many forms. It calms me to have something that I can keep and share. They are powerful tools for organizing and motivating and teaching. I spend …
A Loss For Words
Our son Micah was two years old when we learned he was profoundly deaf. I remember him wading in the Florida Gulf waters up to his chest, and it suddenly occurred to me that he didn’t know his name. In his fist, he held a handful of pebbles, and he launched the rocks in flight. I watched as the pebbles glistened, tiny sparks of light, and realized if I called his name, if I screamed, the word …
Walk In Her Shoes
A simple trip to the grocery store with a mom and her child who has autism. Walk in her shoes for just a moment. Have you seen her? Is this you? Tell us about your experiences in the comments section below. Source: TODAY Parents …
Orange Effect Foundation Awards Grants to Help 11 Children
The Orange Effect Foundation board is excited to once again award more than $20,000 in grants to children in need during their June board meeting. Now 11 more children across the country will have access to speech therapy, summer speech camp, or even special speech-generating devices that help them communicate like never before. Several of the recipients have been diagnosed with Childhood …
Animating Owen
Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and author Ron Suskind wrote about his son's fascination with Disney movies in his book, Life, Animated. Suskind describes how he used dialogue from these classic movies, particularly the Disney sidekicks, to communicate and ultimately reconnect with his autistic son. That story appeared in the New York Times Magazine in 2014. You can read it here: Reaching My …
Happy Birthday, Pam!
Today is Pam Kozelka's birthday, and we all know that Pam, our executive director, will say "no gifts, no gifts!" So instead, we'd love for you to help us celebrate Pam by supporting our foundation. Here are two ways you could help: 1. Donate! No donation is too small. Please click on the blue button above, or visit our website at www.theorangeeffect.org/supporters/ 2. Help us with raffle …
Lend Your Voice: What Are Your Experiences With Insurance and Apraxia?
Many health insurers state that apraxia of speech is a developmental delay and should not be reimbursed. However, the consensus among therapists and physicians is that apraxia of speech is a neurological disorder for which therapy is essential. What do you think? Does your health insurance cover apraxia of speech? Should it be required to cover it? Please share your thoughts below. Bottom Line: …
