So I decided to post the very first draft. While it is not perfect, I think I'm off to a good start with it. Any suggestions/feedback is always welcome. Enjoy!
Newfound Hope: Autism Service Dogs
With autism on the rise, autism service dogs prove to be very beneficial to many
By: Kelly Martin
Justus Lambert couldn’t ever connect with people. Always resorting to his toy figurines, he was more relaxed with objects. Star Wars or Transformer pieces didn’t ask questions, stare at him awkwardly, or judge him. “If people we knew came up to us while taking a walk outside, Justus would stick a toy in their face or just stare blankly at them; he never talked,” Laura Lambert, his mother, recalled. He felt safe and secure, yet he never felt more alone.
Justus is just one of many children who have developed autism, a neurological brain disorder that affects language skills, social interaction and abstract thinking. He has tried many different therapies, blood tests, and glutton-free diets, but nothing seemed to drastically help his condition – until Zoro, a trained autism service dog, came into his life.
He was five years old when he received the St. Bernard dog, about a year and a half after he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome – a milder form of autism. After getting the dog from 4 Paws for Ability, a service dog agency in Xenia, Ohio, the Lambert family saw immediate changes with Justus. He is now able to talk with people easily, and even make new friends at school. He still feels safe and secure, except now he feels like he has a place in the world – all because of Zoro. The once nervous, eccentric child is now calm and relaxed because of his canine friend – and he is only one of many people who have benefited from autism service dogs.
With more autism diagnoses than ever before, there has also been an increased demand for autism service dogs. It has become increasingly clear that people with autism need an effective treatment of some sort – and that’s where many trained dogs can help. Since 1 to 1.5 million Americans have autism with a 10 to 17 percent annual growth of it being reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there has also been an increase in the demand for autism service dogs. While autism is the fastest-growing disability, autism service dogs have been one of the fastest-growing therapies for many.
Throughout the United States, many service dog agencies have recently seen an increase in the number of applications submitted each month. Karen Shirk, the executive director of service dog agency 4 Paws for Ability, has experienced the effects of the increasing demand for service dogs – especially autism service dogs. “About sixty percent of our applications we receive are for Autism Assistance Dogs, with the remainder being for children with a variety of disabilities,” Shirk said. Another service dog agency, Compassionate Paws Inc., has witnessed this increasing demand. With just obtaining their non-profit status in June of 2007, the small organization already has about 100 applications that they are waiting to get back.
With more people demanding autism service dogs, it is important that these dogs are trained effectively. While all service dogs are all trained to help people in need, autism service dogs differ in many different aspects. Many dog service agencies vary in how they train autism service dogs, but most can agree that it is important to select dogs with a laid-back temperament. Pris Taylor, the founder and director of Autism Service Dogs of America, knows that training a more calm, relaxed dog will be helpful for autistic children. “Since autistic children tend to have many emotional outbursts, a relaxed yet protective dog will be able to handle these spontaneous acts,” Taylor said.
One of the biggest differences between an autism service dog and other service dogs is how they are not just trained to help people – they are also trained to be family companions. Trainers for autism service dogs usually mix these two styles of training together to effectively teach the dog how to respond to autistic children. During this training process, trainers usually expose the dogs to special education classroom settings. In addition to being exposed to the general population, the dogs have to be exposed to this specific autistic environment in order to prepare them for what it is to come. “It’s important to put the dog in different situations early on in the training process so that when they really are in those environments, they are used to it and ready to take it on,” Taylor said.
Even though the training by the service agencies is very important, most of the training happens after the placement of the dog in the family’s home. “The bond between the child and the dog is what really counts down the road,” Vicki Pingel, the director of training for Compassionate Paws Inc. “If there’s no bond between them, it’s a flip of the coin as far as if the dog will be an effective tool.”
Most autism service dogs are trained by these service agencies from nine months to a year before given to the family. The Autism Service Dogs of America place the dogs in the home when they are 20 months old, but agencies vary on the when this placement occurs.
In general, it is clear that autism service dogs have been trained effectively due to the increased demand for these dogs and the ensuing success after receiving them. Many service dog agencies follow-up with the families that receive their autism service dogs, including Compassionate Paws Inc. “I am always in constant contact with the families,” Pingel said. “They are expensive, but they are always worth it.” A simple follow-up can reemphasize the good placement of an autism service dog, as Pingel experienced.
A young boy that received a service dog from Compassionate Paws was traveling from there with his family to his hometown in Iowa. They decided to stay in a hotel for the night on their way back. In the middle of the night, when everyone was sleeping, the autistic boy decided to wander off near the hotel pool. The young boy could not swim. The mother awoke to see the dog start to pace back and forth until he started barking to be let out the door. Once the door was opened, the dog bolted down the stairs to the pool. The entire family then awoke to find out the dog had probably saved their son’s life.
Shirk, from 4 Paws for Ability, also makes sure she follows up with families. She specifically remembers working with a ten-year-old boy who received an autism service dog. Before he got his dog, he constantly told her how he is “from another planet, but no one ever understood.” About a year later after receiving his autism service dog, she decided to follow up with the boy to see how he was doing. When he accepted her invitation to come visit 4 Paws for Ability, he suddenly seemed to be proud of who he was. The boy looked up at Karen and said proudly, “I am happy to be from Earth.” From forming a bond with his dog, the boy has learned to accept who he is. “To see such a drastic change is all I can ever ask for,” Shirk said. “That is what makes this job completely worth it.”
Shirk is also happy to be a part of Justus and Zoro’s life. Now whenever the Lambert family goes out for a walk, Justus doesn’t hesitate to talk with people. He carries no toy figurines – only Zoro’s leash. Whenever someone asks him about his dog, he proudly exclaims, “This is my service dog Zoro.” He now isn’t afraid to be who he is, and has a companion by his side to remind him of this fact.
“Zoro is the first thing with a heartbeat that he has become attached to,” Justus’ mother proudly remembered.
