Calming Canines

Yesterday, I heard about a growing problem that affects service dogs and their owners. It appears that the some of the public school districts in Chicago, California, and Pennsylvania are refusing to allow autistic children to bring their dogs to school with them (they worry about other children who may be afraid of dogs).  Like seeing-eye dogs for the blind or deaf, trained dogs are now used to help autistic children deal with their disabilities (such as repetitive movements, violent outbursts, and problems communicating). The dogs are trained to be a calming influence and provide the child with constancy between home, school, and other places.

While there's little research out there on how these dogs affect autistic kids,  many families with autistic children claim that the dogs are "amazingly helpful" in keeping their child calm and focused. Recently, two autistic elementary school students won court orders in Illinois to allow their dogs to accompany them to school. Similar lawsuits are being filed by other autistic children in California and Pennsylvania. It seems that these children and their families have absolutely no doubts about the importance of these special dogs.

What are your thoughts about this? Should assistance dogs be allowed in schools to help autistic children? Should it matter that there is little scientific proof of the benefits of these dogs? Let's hear your thoughts. (photo from bigstockphoto.com)

--Dana

Comments

[Laurel]

I do think kids should be allowed to have their service dogs in school, providing they are actually registered, trained, certified service dogs. I can see how it would present problems for the school, though, with everything from who takes the dog out to pee several times a day (I would think this might not be possible for the children themselves to do) to who keeps the water dish full to possible lawsuits if a dog so much as licks someone's kid.

Right now, there aren't enough training and certifying organizations in the country to keep up with the demands and needs for service animals. Also, who protects the animals, ensuring that they are being treated humanely and given enough time to just be an animal without having to "work" 24/7?

Complicated issue, huh?

[turtlecookie]

Dana, this is actually a very interesting question. My first response was, "of course they should allow these dogs!" But then it does raise some question: Are these dogs "therapy" dogs that have been specially trained (vs a pet)? How do you deal with classmates with pet hair allergies? Dog fears? Classrooms are smaller, more enclosed environments than many other places therapy dogs are allowed, and the allergic or fearful child has fewer options for avoidance. (My son was afraid of dogs for quite awhile, though not usually if they were lying down or if they didn't approach him.) Perhaps it is time for scientific evidence to be gathered if this is a valid way to assist autistic children. If so, then it will be much easier to justify having them in the classroom. I know therapy dogs have been used to help children read, to help them learn to communicate, and so on, so I don't object to it in principle. If dogs really do help autistic children in schools, then they need to be trained therapy dogs and accomodations need to be made for those who might have other issues.

Turtlecookie

[Dana]

Hi Turtlecookie and Laurel, you both bring up excellent points...it truly is a complicated issue and there are so many factors to consider. Thanks for commenting!

[Lindsay]

Well, I liked turtlecookie's comment. As long as the dogs are certified in some way as therapy dogs, then I see no problem with this. I know how helpful dogs can be. But if it is just the family pet, then I don't think that's such a good idea. Even if the family pet makes the child feel much better, who knows how the dog could react in public situations.

If kids are scared of dogs or have allergies, I don't think being in the same room as a calm, well-trained service dog should be too much of a problem. Just stay on the other side of the room, and don't touch the dog. This must have come up at some point with seeing-eye type service dogs. These dogs go to schools despite kids having allergies and fears of dogs. So what's the difference?