Learn how to get the most out of your child's speech therapy sessions. Whether you are new to therapy or your child has attended many sessions, this podcast will discuss what you can expect and how to build upon sessions for practice at home. Certified speech language therapist, Sara Solet, offers concrete tips and tools for families that you can use to optimize therapy sessions and practice what …
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Seeing Orange!
We're seeing oceans of orange and it's beautiful! The Orange Effect Foundation is thrilled to be here at Content Marketing World 2016, the world's largest content marketing event. With over 3,500 delegates from 74 countries in attendance, the word is quickly getting out about the world of good that the Orange Effect is doing to empower children and young adults with speech disorders. Help us to …
Meet ROTUS, The White House’s First Deaf Receptionist
The Orange Effect Foundation recently funded sign language therapy for a hearing impaired young girl and her family. We hope that by empowering her communication, this child is able to set her sights high. Hearing impairments should not hold any one back. Come along with Leah Katz-Hernandez, the White House's first deaf receptionist, as she gives a tour of the West Wing in sign language. …
Back to School Speech Therapy Tips for Parents
Summer is coming to an end, and a new school year is right around the corner! To help your child start the year off right try using these tips: Prepare: As your child gets ready to head back to school it is a great time to help prepare him or her for what to expect. Writing a social story about his or her new school schedule might help make things go smoother. An example of a back to school …
Does Sucking on a Pacifier Harm Speech Development?
There is not a clear-cut answer to this question. While the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association takes the position that overuse of pacifiers can negatively impact speech development, results of studies investigating this question have yielded mixed results when comparing the speech skills of pacifier users versus non-pacifier users. What does the research say? Pacifier use has been …
Joshua Pulizzi Gives 10th Annual Speech to Golf Outing Attendees
Joshua Pulizzi, son of Orange Effect Foundation founders, Joe and Pam Pulizzi, has addressed the attendees at every annual golf outing since they began in 2006. Good evening, and thank you for coming out here to support Autism tonight. My name is Joshua Pulizzi. Most children start talking around 6 months. However, I was two years old and I hadn’t said a single word; all that came out of my …
Finding the Right Words
The Orange Effect Foundation supports early speech therapy—and for one family, helps a child find words to express her delight. At 2 years old, Bridey loves to paint and get messy playing outside. Her mom describes her as a free spirit with lots of love and affection to spread around to her three siblings—all under the age of 4. Yet when Bridey was 16 months her mother Kelly noticed she wasn’t …
Learning About Speech Production
What is the typical progression for learning to produce the speech sounds? Children begin developing speech as an infant. By 6 months of age, babies coo and play with their voices producing sounds such as "oo, uh, mm, da, and goo." Children learn speech by imitating the sounds they hear. Caregivers talking about what they are doing during the day, singing songsand reading books expose the child …
Transforming Speech Therapy With New Treatments
By Melissa Pandika Whenever Matt Maxion approached the counter at McDonald’s, he wanted nothing more than to order chicken nuggets. But the bespectacled 7-year-old knew what would happen when he reached the “n” in “nuggets”: the tremulous, uncontrollable stutter that sometimes made his jaw clench and his chest ache as he felt himself shrink with shame. His tongue caught on harsh consonants — …
Orange Effect Foundation Awards New Grants That Will Impact Lives Nationwide
Cleveland, Ohio – The Orange Effect Foundation is pleased to announce it awarded eight more grants that will impact the lives of children and young adults with speech disorders in New Jersey, Texas and Ohio. The Cleveland-based nonprofit just awarded $15,000 in grants for speech therapy and sign language instruction to deserving families following a quarterly board meeting. The recipients will …
Using a Tablet to Communicate
As part of our mission to empower children and young adults with speech disorders, the Orange Effect Foundation funds augmentative and alternative communication. For some, this is a Dynavox communication device. For others, it is simply a tablet loaded with communication applications. Watch Sesame Street's Abby Cadabby learn more about how children with speech disorders use tablets to …
Super Summertime Speech-Building Activities
Summer is here and if you don't have your speech and language materials ready, now is the time to do it. Some children start summer speech services in July, while others might go year-round. It is important to take advantage of the “summer theme” because it helps to build new vocabulary and relate activities the child may be currently participating into their speech and language goals. If they are …
