Parents and School Adminstrators Clash Over Autism Service Dogs

Its seems to use the a service dog at school would be a distraction for the other kids and it also arises alot of other issues that other kids have to deal with while attending school with a service dog. Although we do believe that a service dog for autism children is a great idea, it just doesn't seem to fit with schools and other kids in the school. In the argument with social interaction We do believe that there is nothing wrong with improving the skill with other kids and pets. In our opinion dogs should be a part of growing up, children learn many valuable lessons with raising a pet and the love that they receive for taking on that responsibility is not replaceable.... Yes we are dog lovers. When preparing your child with autism for back to school http://www.trigeia.com/article.php?id=91965

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I think they are service dogs the kid need one so he or she should have one even in school. Therapy doesnt stop at the gates of the school house. Kids will get over the distraction and they will learn to accept the dog as part of their environment. Will there be an adjustment period. SURE! But is it worth the benefit of having a service dog? ABSOLUTELY! Because cars are dangerous do we lock away our kids and never allow them to venture out? Because children can be mean to one another do we never let our children interact with each other??? OFCOURSE NOT! The solution is not to disallow the service. the solution is to be all inclusive and accept what it therapurtic and best for ALL. It is good for other kids to see and hear and watch the service dog interact with an autistic child. Exposure is a good thing. We are way to rigid in society. liberal in our views but when it comes to our kids our schols our environment we dont accept, welcome or even like change. The comments and confessions of different moms on www.truuconfessions.com stands testament to our failure to accept change and be flexible.

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We, as a society, have decided that children with special needs must be "mainstreamed" (ok, that's the term that was used when I was in school an unmentionable number of years ago. It's probably changed by now). What that entailed, I don't think anyone really thought about.

Currently, in our school district, we have multiple children with special needs, and those needs span the spectrum. Some have something as simple as a mild learning disorder that can be managed with an extra/alternate class each day, and others need constant supervision in the form of an "assistant" hired and paid for by the district. This "assistant' spends all day, every day with that student, helping with everything from removing coats in the morning, to schoolwork, to meals.

The children with the more profound disabilities are still expected to be allowed and welcomed into the classroom, no matter how disruptive their presence is to the other children.

When the Federal Government decided that children with special needs should be treated "just the same" as everyone else, they also took on the responsibility of providing an enriching educational environment for those children.

If the kids need their service dogs, they should be allowed to have them. In many respects, those dogs are better for the kids than the district-provided assistant. The dogs can sense when a seizure is coming on. The dogs provide a calming presence when a tantrum happens. The dogs keep their charges safe.

As for the dogs interacting with the other children in the school, this is the perfect teaching moment for those other kids. A Service Dog is NOT to be touched or interacted with in any way by an outsider when he is on duty. Kids who are afraid of dogs will see that this large dog poses no threat, and even *helps* their classmate, and thereby may actually help those children overcome their fear of dogs.

Agree or disagree, but when the school decided that the Special Needs kids are "no different" from 'regular' kids (and they ARE different, and deserve to be treated as such, to the extent that they are helped to live the fullest life possible), they took on the responsibility of providing an environment wherein those kids are comfortable and able to learn. If an autistic child (or a blind child, deaf child, etc) needs a Service Dog to manage his/her day, then so be it.

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It depends on how much burden this is on the school and the other children. In my school district, high school students are prohibited from taking more than 5.25 credits per year because the school supposedly can't afford enough teachers to allow a fuller academic load. The kids are invited to leave school as soon as their scheduled classes are over, or presumably they can sit in study hall. Meanwhile, if a child claims a disability, should the district have to spend thousands of dollars (or tens of thousands or more) accommodating that one child, who often isn't likely to ever need to qualify for a competitive job? I think it's fair to say that a line needs to be drawn.

At some level, all of our kids would benefit from bringing their pets to school. And any of our kids could run in the street or get upset in class. I hope the school system / judge has an objective, sensible decision tree to apply in making these decisions. "Is child labeled special needs" doesn't cut it.

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As a 2nd grade teacher, I constantly find myself trying to create a balance between what the law dictates for students with special needs and the needs/rights of my typical students. No laws whatsoever exist that describe the rights of typical students in the classroom, and rarely are special education decisions made with the impact on the whole class taken into account. No one considers the impact on an autistic student's classmates when they have to exit the room while a tantrum exhausts itself. No one thinks about how hard it is to concentrate on schoolwork, when one of your classmates has outbursts and is physically disruptive. It can be extremely frustrating, to say the least.

In the case of service dogs for autistic students, I would have to wonder if a school employee would also be assigned to the student to care for the dog's toileting and feeding needs, because if a student is so profoundly autistic that a service dog is required, he/she can't possibly be expected to care for the dog? I would also hope that consideration would be given to the other students in the class with regard to allergies and fear of dogs.

I have had autistic students in my classroom before, and am constantly amazed at the depth and breadth of the ways the disorder manifests itself. Each autistic student I have had in my class has left an imprint on my heart, for sure! But, as politically incorrect as it sounds, it truly feels like spending the day with a ticking bomb, always waiting for the next explosion. Of course, each autistic student is completely different from another. In the broadest sense of the experience of sharing a classroom with an autistic student, I am constantly amazed at the inappropriate behaviors that my typical students are expected to overlook, all while preparing to take extremely rigorous statdardized tests. Preparing for these high-stakes tests really overshadows everything else, and there is no time for shenanigans in class!

How will the pre-kindergarten students mentioned in the article be able to focus on the activities at hand with a dog in the room? Are 5 year olds developmentally able to understand why one child can bring his dog to school, while they cannot? Is a human assistant a more appropriate companion for a student of this age than a live "stuffed animal"?

If an autistic student is so profoundly incapable of sustaining a school routine without a service dog, one has to wonder if a different school environment would be the best course of action? School districts have to consider fiscally responsible decisions and should compare the cost of alternate placement and the cost of a service animal.

I am not convinced that service animals are the best solution
At the very least, service animals shouldn't be assigned to student in grades less than 3rd grade, so that the other students in the class are old enough to empathize with the autistic student and ignore the animal and continue with their work. As the parent of a 2nd grader, I certainly don't think that I would want my child to be in a classroom where a service dog was part of the routine. She is extremely afraid of dogs, and I don't think she would be able to concentrate on her school work with any level of concentration, with a dog in the room.

It is certainly a thorny issue... but all issues regarding balancing the needs of special needs students and typical students always are!

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Ok I at first reading this was with the dogs going to school but then after i read some of the comments I can see a differnt way now. the first thing I noticed is that if these autistic children are in regular classes with regular kids then it would be a hughe distraction. I think just having the kid in a regular class seems to be a distraction its self. Like the one teacher mentioned on here that when a fit arises the students are interupted anyways. I think then that the autistic kids should be by themselves and not with the other students then if a dog is needed they are all together and it can help everyone in the same place together. I have nothing against children with disabilities my son has severe asthma so I know how it is to have to watch for your child. But it just seems to me that they should be in a special enviorment together so then they can use these methods as a whole. Kids are going to get mad and say well why can he bring in a dog just because he is differnt and i cant bring in my dog and i am shy and have trouble adapting or something. I am a serious animal lover and i think having dogs in school for all would be great but just not for some and not others. Being blind is totaly differnt because they rely solely on the dog to lead them around.

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If the child was blind would this discusion be going on? If you want to mainstream children with disablities then you have to make adjustments to the schools. This includes allowing the assistant dogs for all disablities. You have to allow them in the workplace. What if it was the teacher who had the disablity. My dd had a teacher who was deaf, what if he had a service dog?
Someone could also argue is it fair to ban peanuts when only a few kids are allergic? It is a proven fact that if you don't isolate kids from thier allergy they grow out of it or at least become tolerant. Isolating them is doing more harm then good.

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As the parent to a high-functioning autistic child who will be mainstreamed throughout his schooling, I feel if a child is so profoundly affected by their autism to need a service dog keep them calm, they are too profoundly affected to be in a neurotypical classroom. The law, at least where I live, states my child has to be provided his education in the least restrictive environment possible. For him, right now, it is half and half. He is in a neurotypical prek 2 full days and 3 half days and attends a special needs class 2 hours 3 days a week. Next year, he will be in a neurotypical kindergarten class and be followed by the special ed teacher. If his autism was more involved, or his developmental delays were such that he needed more assistance than just a wedge to insure he sits properly and a special pencil grip, he would not belong in a neurotypical classroom. I wouldn't expect a teacher to spend all her time tending to my son's needs and not teaching the rest of the class. It has been a hard battle to find the proper place for him. Some children belong in a "mainstreamed" classroom and some need the attention and focus of a special ed classroom.

And, Michele W, comparing your child with severe asthma, which while a serious medical condition, is nothing like having a child with a learning or developmental delay. I have children with both.

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I have to remind myself that many people are ignorant about autism because they do not love someone with that condition. Even if you have "someone" in your family with autism does not mean you understand it or love that child. These children are not inferior beings, but beautiful creations of God just as are "normal" kids.

I have two children with autism, another that had severe asthma (these conditions are not to be compared). I have seen a lot as a parent of children with special needs. My autistic children are sweet and well-behaved. I have seen many who have a more severe condition than my children concerning autism. I have worked with these kids along with my own. I have seen a few who are completely disruptive and I wonder why the parent feels they should be in that classroom setting (this was a special needs setting). My autistic children get their educations disrupted when a child with autism goes into humming and rocking. I feel for these children and their parents though since many have limited options.

We have a school in our district that teaches severely autistic children. I think those children are happier being where expectations are too high, and they are taught based on what they can and cannot do. My own children are in special needs classes, now in high school. They have one regular class each and are no disruption. They are happy and well-adjusted and absolutely LOVED at their school.

So, about the dogs? My school has a program (I think the only one in the country) where a vice principal (an extraordinary woman) brings about five Newfoundlands to school each day. Any child in the school can apply to be part of this program where children are allowed to take a Newfoundland to class. This is not just for special needs kids. To take a 150-pound dog to class is wonderful for these children. The dogs are comforting presences and promote social activation with peers. Some kids in this program are autistic, but many are "normal" with other problems, or maybe no diagnosable problem. The VP had to push to get this program in the school, but she did and it is wonderfully successful. Teachers may opt to NOT have the dogs in class. My older autistic son likes dogs from a distance, but has a sense of belonging in the club. My younger one will take charge of any dog and is responsible for caring for the dog during class. The biggest distraction seems to be the dogs' snoring in class. These are therapy dogs, and they have been very therapeutic. I do feel that if a child or teacher does not want the dogs in class, that is their choice. We cannot cater to one child over the needs of all others. However, special needs kids do not need to be put away and forgotten. They are part of this world and should be accepted and integrated into regular activities wherever possible. If a service dog causes a stir--and I have never seen one of these well-trained dogs do that--then the other children are not getting what they need. I think it is dependent upon the situation and students and teachers should be able to weigh in on the subject.

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A child who was severely autistic enough to require a service dog (I hesitate to say "benefit from" since I'm pretty certain almost anyone would benefit from having a dog around all the time. I know I would) would probably not be in a general education classroom. "Mainstreaming" does not just mean putting kids with special needs in normal classrooms. That is only appropriate if it is in the best interest of the child. Many childrens' least restrictive environments are NOT a gen ed setting.

But still, I can't see this working in a normal school. The liability issues are too great. Even if the child was not in a gen ed setting, but in a spectrum classroom, there would possibly be even more danger. The low incidence classroom I was in last year had some students who would probbaly have benefited from this, but it also had some students who would totally freak out because of the dog, scream, cry, or even try to hurt it. And even the best trained dog would bite in self defense. The benefits do not outweigh the risks. But a child who would benefit from it most would probably also benefit more from a one-on-one aid or home schooling than any sort of inclusion anyway. Honestly I wouldn't see this being an issue. This sort of child would not be in a gen ed setting unless their parents specifically pushed and pushed for it (and then, it would be at a detriment to the child's learning and well being, though many parents do do this to prove to themselves that their child is "normal").

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I have a step son who is a level 4 autistic 26yr old young man who just yesterday at his job of employeement "yes he does have a job and works 40hr weeks for pay well below minumim wage but still gets up everyday and happly goes to work I can't speak for some of you healthy people out there that just sit at home and bitch 40 plus hrs a week because you aren't making the money your little minds think you should be making and mabey don't even deserve to, but let's see where did I leave off oh yes he went to the rest room around lunch and had a bad seizure and no one new until one of the other employees who happens to be in a wheel chair went to the rest room and found him lying on the floor. It would have been nice if he had a service dog with him that could have alerted the staff sooner. And besides that being autistic is a very different world to live in and to live with. Before you think your comment is worth anything walk and live in the shoes of an autistic persons life first.

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