This post originally published on The Orange Effect Foundation blog on January 26, 2016. Due to its popularity, we are reposting it here for you. The Orange Effect Foundation (OEF) officially launched last spring, but its story began more than a decade ago, when Joe and Pam’s first-born son, Joshua, was diagnosed with autism. In those days, Pam was a stay-at-home mom with a healthy baby …
autism spectrum disorder
Who Inspires You? We Want To Know!
I’ve run across a lot of feel good articles this week. It amazes me what people can accomplish and to be honest, I often envy their constant upbeat mood and never ending drive. I realize too, that most of these folks just don’t get enough credit. So we would love to highlight some of them here at The Orange Effect Foundation. Here’s some I ran across this week! Dylan …
The Story of Adam (A “Typical” Kid)
It makes sense why I talk about Joshua all the time here on the Orange Effect Foundation blog. After all, he is the reason the foundation even exists. If you need some quick background, check out this post. Rarely however do I talk about Adam. That’s a shame because he played such an integral role in Joshua’s success. Additionally, he’s a really cool kid. Joshua is older than Adam by …
The Kids Are Not All Right
Richard Engel writes, "Kids with special needs are not OK right now. Neither are parents. Let's drop the act that this pandemic affects us all equally." I second that. Checking in my my friends who have special needs kids, it's clear that they're operating in a different stratosphere. It's one thing to keep your preschooler occupied 24-7, but it's another thing entirely to keep your special …
Autism In a Picture
Many years ago the kids and I walked in a 4th of July parade in our community with the early childhood PTA we belonged to. It was sincerely one of the hottest days of the year and we were all melting by the time it was done. We ended up inviting some of the other members of the PTA who had walked in the parade to come to our house because we had an above ground pool for the kids to cool off. That …
Change a Child’s Life
“Change a child’s life.” Those words were the first thing I saw as I dejectedly walked out of the office of my undergraduate thesis advisor. He had just told me my summer research internship was cancelled due to lack of funding. This was going to be a HUGE opportunity for me as I was accepted to a joint program at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh to study the impacts of …
Consistency During a Lockdown
These times are unprecedented. Many of us are just going day-to-day making sure we brush our teeth. That’s okay. One day at a time has never had more meaning. I’ve heard from a few parents whose children receive speech or occupational therapy. They are distraught because they know how important consistency is, but they are following the rules and staying home to stay safe. They are asking …
How to Cope with Disrupted Family Routines During COVID-19
Autism Speaks shares some helpful advice for dealing with the sudden and drastic change in routines that our households are currently experiencing. These changes are especially challenging for children who have autism. Visual daily schedules, increased physical activity, organized family fun. These are just a few ways to return routine to these very disrupted days. If you have a special needs …
Change is Hard. Change is Scary. Change is Good.
This post originally appeared in the monthly Orange Effect Foundation e-newsletter. It’s February. Here in Cleveland that can often mean a lot of time at home because the weather can be so cold and the skies so gray. For me that means the new year's resolutions start wearing off. Exercise becomes less frequent and dessert becomes more frequent. I tried to do some reading on …
How Many Kids Can We Help on August 3rd?
Announcing the 14th Annual OEF Golf for Autism I remember the day my wife and I walked into the clinic to get the results on our oldest boy. He was two-years-old. He couldn’t talk yet and rarely made eye contact. We were young parents without a clue of what to do. The therapist at the clinic was going to tell us what to do with our son. We were thankful for that. Unfortunately, what we …
Ryan’s Story
I've listened enough. It's time for me to speak, however it may sound. Through an electronic device, my hands, or my mouth. Now it's your time to listen. Are you ready? Neal Katz, Self-advocate A few weeks ago, Ryan, with his fuzzy PJ pants on, galloped into the kitchen with a determined look in his eyes. He approached the drawer that holds his GoTalk device so he could request his …
Early Treatment for Autism Is Critical, New Report Says
Citing 12 years of research and clinical study, the American Academy of Pediatrics as issued a new clinical report on autism that urges early identification and referral for treatment, even if a formal diagnosis has not been confirmed. Although the average age of diagnosis is age four, the new goal is to obtain a diagnosis by age two. In addition, diagnostic categories such as Asperger's syndrome …
