autism service dogs in schools
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| Fri, 08-21-2009 - 10:06pm |
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=8384926
"Schools Fight Families Over Autism Service Dogs
Schools balk at letting autistic kids bring service dogs to class; some families fight back
By LINDSEY TANNER
The Associated Press
CHICAGO
Like seeing-eye dogs for the blind, trained dogs are now being used to help autistic children deal with their disabilities. But some schools want to keep the animals out, and families are fighting back.
Two autistic elementary school students recently won court orders in Illinois allowing their dogs to accompany them to school. Their lawsuits follow others in California and Pennsylvania over schools' refusal to allow dogs that parents say calm their children, ease transitions and even keep the kids from running into traffic.
At issue is whether the dogs are true "service dogs" — essential to managing a disability — or simply companions that provide comfort.
School districts say they are not discriminating, just drawing the line to protect the safety and health of other students who may be allergic or scared of dogs.
"The school district has 650 students, not just one. So we have to balance," said Brandon Wright, attorney for the Villa Grove district in central Illinois, which objected to 6-year-old Kaleb Drew's plan to bring his yellow Labrador retriever, Chewey, to school.
Kaleb's family won a judge's order in July allowing the dog to come to class until a trial, set to start Nov. 10. That means when Kaleb starts his first full day of first grade Monday, Chewey will be by his side.
Service dogs have long been used by the blind, but training them to help those with autism is relatively new. While there's little research on how these animals affect autistic children, families like Kaleb's say they have seen marked improvement. And the support group Autism Speaks includes a list of dog-training groups among resources on its Web site.
Autism is a developmental disorder that involves behaviors such as poor eye contact, trouble communicating and repetitive movements such as rocking or hand-flapping. Those with the disorder are prone to outbursts and may have trouble with changes in their environment.
The dogs are trained to be a calming influence, providing a constant between home, school and other new places. Sometimes, as in Kaleb's case, the dogs are tethered to children to prevent them from running off in dangerous situations.
(article continues...)
Blessings,
Gypsy
)O(

"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass
and loses itself in the sunset.
- Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator

Dog fighting is cruelty, which is a human activity and a human illness.
It's not the dog's fault.
All dogs need to be evaluated as individuals."
--Tim Racer, one of BAD RAP's founders
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/

Mika Dog
"All things share the same breath;
the beast, the tree, the man.
The Air shares its spirit with
all the life it supports."
--Chief Seattle
"If there are no dogs in Heaven,
then when I die I want to go where they went."
~Will Rogers
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress
can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
~~Mahatma Gandhi

"Life is a state of mind." ~~from Being There.

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Along the same line... What if every autistic child wanted to bring their dog?
Blessings,
Gypsy
)O(
"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass
and loses itself in the sunset.
- Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator
Dog fighting is cruelty, which is a human activity and a human illness.
It's not the dog's fault.
All dogs need to be evaluated as individuals."
--Tim Racer, one of BAD RAP's founders
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/
Mika Dog
"All things share the same breath;
the beast, the tree, the man.
The Air shares its spirit with
all the life it supports."
--Chief Seattle
"If there are no dogs in Heaven,
then when I die I want to go where they went."
~Will Rogers
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress
can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
~~Mahatma Gandhi
"Life is a state of mind." ~~from Being There.
Blessings,
Gypsy
)O(
Interesting discussion.
IMO, I don't think we should elevate another student's "fear of dogs" to the level of denying another student reasonable accommodations. I feel the same way about peanut butter. If one child has a fatal allergy and another child "only" eats peanut butter, I think an accommodation should be made to help the peanut eater to learn to eat other foods, rather than risk the death of the other child.
Similarly, if a dog can allow an autistic child to navigate a public school successfully, then other children who are afraid of dogs should be given some assistance to overcome their phobia. It's a win -win. KWIM?
There's the question of allergies. Previously the dogs I've adopted have been non-shedding types but one of the
I guess if it were my child being denied access, I'd be suing, too. And if my child's *best* helper is a trained helper dog, to make his/her ability to be in a public school venue, possible, I'd be fighting hard to have the dog accepted and accommodated, too. Because, like most parents, I expect my child to be accommodated, as the mandate has become in public schools these days. Very difficult position for the schools to be in. And the parents, who would be less than objective, understandably, if it is their child that is affected.
So, which child is to be sacrificed? :O I wonder, also, why have not issues come up before re: seeing eye dogs in schools, as seeing eye dogs have been around for a very long time now? Is it like many other kinds of handicaps, these kids were quietly shunted off elsewhere until we had laws for the rights of the handicapped being applied to our public schools? And this is yet another threshold and barrier coming up?
Blessings,
Gypsy
)O(
"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass
and loses itself in the sunset.
- Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator
Dog fighting is cruelty, which is a human activity and a human illness.
It's not the dog's fault.
All dogs need to be evaluated as individuals."
--Tim Racer, one of BAD RAP's founders
http://www.badrap.org/rescue/
Mika Dog
"All things share the same breath;
the beast, the tree, the man.
The Air shares its spirit with
all the life it supports."
--Chief Seattle
"If there are no dogs in Heaven,
then when I die I want to go where they went."
~Will Rogers
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress
can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
~~Mahatma Gandhi
"Life is a state of mind." ~~from Being There.
Blessings,
Gypsy
)O(
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