2016 has been an exciting year for the Orange Effect Foundation. We awarded our first grants just in time for Christmas 2015 and haven’t looked back! Empowering children and young adults with speech disorders, these grants change lives. Because of our wonderful supporters, this year the Orange Effect Foundation met the needs of 20 children and young adults who face daily challenges …
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Gifts That Give Twice
Wouldn't be wonderful to give a gift that gives twice this holiday season? If you're searching for the perfect gifts to give, please consider supporting one of these wonderful artists and entrepreneurs who just so happen to be physically or developmentally challenged. You may also consider supporting a business that empowers the disabled. Whichever you choose, you can be confident that yours will …
Holiday Acts of Kindness For Special Needs Families
Families with special needs children face unique challenges that often make celebrating the holiday season more demanding and more stressful. For example, special needs may find it difficult to accomplish holiday tasks such as Christmas shopping while maintaining the care level required for their child. In addition, the holiday season is a time for family gatherings, which requires balancing the …
Choosing Gifts for Autistic Children
Selecting the perfect gifts for loved ones is difficult, but selecting the perfect present for an autistic child poses a particular set of challenges. One father has taken the time to compile a set of great gift ideas that may help you when choosing the perfect gift for the young boy or girl on your list. You may also want to check out this Special Needs Holiday Gift Guide for more ideas. Do …
Why I’m Donating to The Orange Effect Foundation on #GivingTuesday By Cathy McPhillips
Black Friday. Small Business Saturday. Cyber Monday. Three days focused on the sole purpose of spending money on STUFF. (Even though I’m totally crazy about Small Business Saturday!) But really, how much stuff do we need? I remember the days growing up with my big family and running downstairs to see all of the gifts and getting so excited when I saw some for myself. I remember the tables …
In Thanksgiving
Thank you for helping us to help others. Your donations deliver speech services and technology to those in need. To apply for a grant or to make a donation, please visit www.theorangeeffect.org …
Thanksgiving and Autism: Coping with the Chaos of the Annual Feast
Thanksgiving Day can be a true ordeal for a child with autism and their parents. Visiting relatives' homes, or hosting a multitude of guests may be a challenge for most of us, but for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their parents, the added stress can be unbearable. Eileen Bailey, writing for Healthcentral.com, offers several tips for making Thanksgiving a day that both …
From Stutterer to Star: James Earl Jones
The Orange Effect Foundation recently funded a device to assist a young man who struggles with stuttering. Although there is no cure for stuttering, techniques, training and devices can help an individual overcome this. Actor James Earl Jones, whom some may know as the voice of Darth Vader, still grapples with his stutter to this day, but a stutter has not held him back. In this powerful video, …
Using Shakespeare for Intervention
Study: Shakespeare Play Helps Children With Autism Communicate Researchers say social interaction, language and facial expression skills improve COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study showed improvement in the social and communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using a signature approach pairing the recitation of Shakespeare’s rhythmic language with physical …
Making Halloween a Treat for Children With Autism
Halloween is an exciting holiday for kids, but it may offer certain challenges for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Members of the Autism Parent Advisory Board of the Boone Fetter Clinic at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Autism Treatment Network site partnered with Kathryn Smith, RN, DrPH, nurse care manager in the Boone Fetter Clinic, to provide tips every parent and …
Using Technology to Speak Her Mind
Did you know that the Orange Effect Foundation funds augmentative and alternative communication devices? These are designed for individuals who are unable to communicate verbally. Augmentative and alternative communication devices are essential to helping people express their wants and needs and most importantly, speak their minds. Watch to see how one child uses her device to share her point of …
A Look Back at Autism: Denial, Part 2
At the end of part one of this series, I said no more denial for this family. That is mostly true and we began home based therapy for our son pretty quickly after his diagnosis, but it was still hard to talk about. I noticed it in interviews, and in training sessions with tutors that we never once said that he was the “A” word (autistic). I had reached the point where I could say …
