[Cagdu] FW: [nagdu] Dog helps stabilize autistic boy's life, but Hillsboro school says not in the classroom

[tina thomas]

Subject: [nagdu] Dog helps stabilize autistic boy's life,but Hillsboro
school says not in the classroom

Dog helps stabilize autistic boy's life, but Hillsboro school says not in
the classroom By Wendy Owen, The Oregonian January 10, 2010, 11:00PM
Source:
http://www.oregonlive.com/washingtoncounty/index.ssf/2010/01/dog_
helps_stabilize_an_autisic.html
 
View full sizeOlivia Bucks / The OregonianMadison, a 2-year-old German
shepherd, is trained to assist his 9-year-old buddy, Scooter Givens. But the
$13,000 dog spends most of his time at home after the Hillsboro School
District said he was not necessary for Scooter's educational progress at
school. 
 
HILLSBORO -- Every day, Scooter Givens tries to hit his third-grade
classmates and instructors at Patterson Elementary where he attends class
for children with severe autism. 
 
Sounds that surprise him, especially crying children, can send the
9-year-old Hillsboro boy into yelling, flailing "meltdowns,"
which have lasted more than an hour. 
 
Eric and Wendy Givens know Madison, a trained autism service dog, can calm
their son; they've seen the German shepherd do so at malls, in parking lots,
at restaurants. But the Hillsboro School District won't allow the dog in
school, saying Scooter is doing well without the shepherd.
 
The U.S. Department of Justice is currently investigating a complaint filed
by Disability Rights Oregon on behalf of the Givenses. The outcome could
affect other families in Oregon that hope to use autism service dogs in
schools. 
 
The argument pits special education law against the Americans With
Disabilities Act. Although the district argues that the dog is not necessary
for Scooter's classroom education, the family says the dog improves the
boy's access to his education by keeping him calm. 
 

"It makes Scooter easier to teach," said Wendy Givens. Madison "would help
mitigate Scooter's disability in class." 
 
Disability Rights Oregon attorney Joel Greenberg equated the situation to a
person who is blind being told he does fine with a cane even though a
trained guide dog is more effective. 
 
"Essentially, the school district is saying, 'we get to pick the tool,'" he
said. 
 
Hillsboro Superintendent Mike Scott said it's an issue of process. 
 
"We agree that across-the-board exclusion of a service animal would not be
appropriate." But, he said, "If we have a student that is doing well in
school, is there a need for a service animal?" 
 
The district had raised concerns over allergies and other students' fears of
dogs, but Scott said those are "not the issue." 
 
The debate also hinges on whether Madison is considered a service or a
therapy animal. In other words, is he the equivalent of a guide dog for the
blind or is he a well-trained pet? 
 
Therapy animals are not covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act,
but they are growing in popularity and are often used in hospitals to
comfort patients and in schools where children read to them. The training is
not as extensive as it is for a service animal. 
 
The Americans With Disabilities Act describes a service animal as "any guide
dog, signal dog, or other animal individually trained to do work or perform
tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including, but not
limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals
with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection
or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items." 
 
In the case of Scooter, the dog is usually tethered to the boy.
Scooter, whose given name is Jordan, wears a belt that is attached to a
harness on Madison. When Scooter tries to bolt, the dog sits or digs his
claws into the ground and pulls back, stopping Scooter. 
 
The dog is trained to assist Scooter, who has autism. If something startles
Scooter and he works himself into a violent on-the-floor "meltdown," the dog
puts his paw on the boy. If that doesn't work, Madison stands over him and
then lies down on Scooter. The flailing and yelling stop almost immediately,
and Scooter can get back on task, said Wendy Givens. Should Scooter run off
and can't be found, Madison is trained to track him with the command,
"Where's your boy?" 
 
Madison's primary mission is to keep Scooter safe and calm. He has 500 hours
of training from simple obedience to advanced skills, said Karen Shirk,
founder, 4 Paws for Ability Inc. a nonprofit in Ohio that trains dogs for
people with various disabilities, including autism. 
 
The Givenses paid $13,000 for the dog, largely from fundraising, and Wendy
Givens flew back to Ohio in March 2008 for two weeks of training with
Madison before bringing him home. 
 
For years, Oregon school districts, including Hillsboro, have allowed
service dogs in training to traverse school halls. But fully trained dogs
assisting children with autism in public schools are rare. 
 
"It's new territory that school districts are not familiar with.
They fall back on basic policies," said Genevieve Athens, executive director
of the Autism Society of Oregon. "I think eventually as this gets more
prevalent in society, ... there might be more acceptance in the classroom"
for autism dogs. 
 
In the Portland area, Beaverton is the only district known to have allowed
the use of a dog for a child with autism. The dog was allowed on a trial
basis last spring, but hasn't been coming this school year, said Patty
Lawrence,  special education facilitator for the Beaverton School District.
Lawrence said she couldn't provide specifics because of student
confidentiality but said the school had not refused the dog. 
 
"As a team at the school, we decided to try other things as well," she said.

 
Other options that can help calm a child include wearing a weighted vest or
applying deep pressure, which can be as simple as a hug. 
 
"Sometimes they just need that squeeze that calms them down," she said. 
 
But every child with autism is different and what may work for one child
doesn't work for another, Lawrence said. 
 
Unlike most school districts in the state, Beaverton has a very detailed
policy that requires assistance animals be accredited guide dogs or
certified therapy dogs from known training organizations. 
 
As for Scooter, Madison has become a social bridge for the boy, who can talk
but doesn't like to interact with others, said Wendy Givens. The
brown-and-black German Shepherd loves to be petted and is a magnet for
people, which helps Scooter socialize and gives people a better
understanding of autism and Scooter. 
 
He is no longer "the weird kid biting his hand," Wendy Givens said. 
 
 
 


Ginger Bennett Kutsch
Morristown, NJ


 
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