It is officially fall and it’s officially time to mark your calendars for this year’s Silence for Speech event! After a successful 2020 fundraiser, we are excited and hopeful for another successful event. Founder and Executive Director, Pam Pulizzi, recalls, “We learned last year that most of the participants in Silence for Speech know someone with autism, apraxia, or other speech …
autism
Learning How to Read: Free Online Materials for Children and Adults
For some children and adults with autism or other special needs, learning how to read can require time, patience, and support. Many caregivers, including parents and family members, teachers, tutors, and speech-language pathologists, can contribute to teaching children and adults to read. One of the questions that caregivers may ask is, “Where can I find good materials for teaching reading and …
A Golf Social Story
The Orange Effect Foundation just completed their 15th Annual Golf for Autism outing. It was a huge success and one of their two big golf fundraising events that provide funding for children who need speech therapy. I am not a golfer but volunteered to help out for this event – you know, selling raffle tickets, taking pictures, and of course, serving beer – things I know very well how to …
The Best Speech Therapy Example Is No Example At All
At The Orange Effect Foundation, the board does an amazing job of contributing to the newsletter and blog. It’s important to our business model and the community. This week, of course, is my turn. And as such, I was sitting at lunch with my oldest son asking him what he thought I should write. It went like this: Me – What should I write for OEF this week? Son – I don’t …
The Cure For Autism
(Okay, okay, there really isn't a medical one.) “I would have never guessed he had autism.” “How long has he had autism?” “Is he cured?” I have talked with other parents a lot about these questions. They are a compliment mostly. If someone meets my son for the first time and can’t ‘tell’ he’s autistic that’s good, right? The whole goal since he was two years old was to provide …
Why I Am Grateful for Famous People Who Speak Out
I was recently sent this Yahoo article in which actress Holly Robinson Peete shares that her 19-year-old son is autistic. The article focuses on her advocacy which is so important in our society. It’s an unfair pressure to put on a celebrity, but one that, in this case, Holly has taken in stride. She talks in the article about the impact of the pandemic. Specifically, that her autistic …
“Symptoms” of Autism – A Focus on the Positive
I was writing a blog post about how autism is never cured. People with autism learn to adjust to societal norms and they learn, in a way, how to rewire their brain for themselves so that they can be successful. But they are never cured. In doing that research, I came across this image, one I had never seen before, and it blew me away. What a wonderful truth to be put into words. …
Finding the Strengths in Special Needs
A friend shared a great article from the Washington Post with me today. It was one of those articles that as a mom, had me tearing up a bit. Additionally as a person who is on social media (at least reading, not necessarily posting) I was so surprised not to hear about this sooner. A young man, with the help of his Dad, created a profile on LinkedIn and after several drafts, posted a …
Orange Effect Foundation Reaches Milestone 5,000 Hours of Speech Therapy Grants
CLEVELAND - Dec. 16, 2020 - PRLog -- It is fitting that in addition to celebrating the fifth consecutive year of awarding grants for speech therapy and speech devices, the Orange Effect Foundation celebrates another exciting milestone. The Orange Effect Foundation has now funded 5,000 hours of speech therapy for children throughout the United States who otherwise would be …
Different? Not At All
Who’s different now? Watching an autistic grandson grow up, there was no question that in his preteen years, especially until the age of around ten, he was definitely different. He was different in that he did not look you in the eye or look at you at all when you talked to him, although he definitely was listening and understood what you were saying. His reactions to you were simply …
How to Get Special Needs Children Started in Investing
As a father of a son on the autism spectrum, I was always looking for ways to interact with my son outside of his ongoing speech therapy sessions. Like many children on the spectrum, my son was fascinated with toys like LEGO bricks, but also with numbers. Since I had a passion for investing myself, I believed that would be a perfect area to bond, as well as learn, with my special needs’ …
Orange Effect Foundation Grants Thirty Thousand Dollars for Speech Therapy
CLEVELAND - Sept. 23, 2020 - PRLog -- The Orange Effect Foundation is proud to announce that in September, the board of directors awarded $30,000 to needy children to fund speech therapy and speech devices. In the United States, one in nine children needs speech therapy. Unfortunately, many go without because their families simply cannot afford to pay. As board member …