CTV.ca News Staff
Dogs are born to be loved, especially by children. But some
dogs will bring more than joy into a child's life, like
11-year-old Scotty.
"He's just a happy little person who drifts in and out of
connecting with other people in his autistic way, but in a happy
way," says his mother, Francine.
Even when Scotty was a baby his parents, Francine and Terry
suspected something was wrong. He just wasn't connected with those
around him. Still, when he was diagnosed at four years of age, it
wasn't any easier.
"You go through a lot. It's a loss of the child you thought you
would have and as a parent you want your kids to thrive," says
Francine.
Francine and Terry are far from alone. Autism is the number one
developmental disorder among children and it's on the rise.
Problems with social interaction and communication are
characteristic of the disease.
For Scotty's parents, autism also means being on alert every
minute of the day for his safety.
"Running away, escaping. So we have locks on all our doors,
double-sided. So whenever someone comes into our house, they're
locked in," says Francine.
Exhaustion is routine, but they've learned a lot along the way.
"You adjust your environment, what you do and the way you do
it, to him rather than trying to get him to adjust to you," says
his dad Terry.
To be autistic is to have sensory overload. Imagine sight,
sound, touch, and smell are all at the same level of intensity,
with no way of turning it down. The theory is that's why kids
retreat.
Twenty years ago, only one in every 4,000 children was
diagnosed autistic. Today, it's much higher, one in 200 to 300,
because of better diagnosis. But no two autistic kids are the
same, making treatment hit and miss.
Dr. Peter Szatmari is a leading Canadian expert on autism. Even
he admits there are more questions than answers.
"We know that it's a genetic disorder. In other words, it's
inherited in some way. But what the genes are and how the genes
interact to cause autism, that we don't know. We know how to make
a diagnosis when a child is three, four, five years of age. We
don't really know how to make the diagnosis at six months or a
year of age."
Francine and Terry will try anything that might help Scott.
They've changed his diet, added supplements and they have him in
one-on-one behaviour therapy.
Their search for help has also led them to a farm in
southwestern Ontario. National Service Dogs is a registered
charity. It's the only place in North America training dogs to
help children with autism.
Dog trainers Chris and Heather Fowler started their school
after receiving a desperate phone call.
"A woman on the end of the phone was pleading with me to please
accept her situation and train a dog for her son with autism,"
says Heather.
Chris and Heather had to research autism and create a program,
which has now provided service dogs to over 40 kids. Even they
have been surprised with the results.
"A lot of autistic children won't show emotion to other people
and to watch them hug the dog and kiss the dog was something
really unexpected," says Chris.
Each dog is a $12,000 investment, but they're free for the
families. The dog is attached to a child's waist by a belt and a
leash held by a parent. The dog works for the autistic child but
takes commands from a parent. The child's safety improves, but
there has been another benefit no one could have expected.
"We thought we were doing something physically for the parents
to benefit them, to have a less stressful life and to have their
child get more independence. We had no idea that a non-verbal
autistic child could learn to speak through the interaction of
other people coming up and asking them about their dog," says
Chris.
Families across North America are joining a long waiting list
for a service dog because of program successes, like Riley.
He is seven years old. Riley likes trucks, tractors, and any
kind of heavy equipment. But he loves his best friend Yogi, a
golden retriever.
"We're finding when he is aggressive, he'll go to his dog. He
just wants to lay with Yogi and run his fingers through his hair
and talk to him. It's an unconditional love," says his mom,
Connie.
Riley has a much milder form of autism than Scotty. His is a
condition that has been missed by doctors for years. But it's now
the most commonly diagnosed type. Dr. Carey Johnson is Riley's
pediatrician, specializing in autism.
"He looks like normal children... But he will show lots of
avoidance. He won't interact with you. He won't make eye contact.
He will zone out and just not interact with the people," says Dr.
Johnson.
Riley also has a history of bolting, but not anymore. His
family may have waited three years to get Yogi, but it didn't take
long for the dog to have a huge impact on their lives.
"When we first came in the house [with Yogi], it was like ducks
to water. It was just so unbelievable. That bond was instant,"
says Connie.
Francine and Terry hope a service dog will be that key for
Scott. But his challenges are greater than Riley's, and there are
no guarantees.
"You want so much for your child to be the best that they can
be. For Scott being special, I still want that for him," says
Francine.
Francine and Terry decided to apply for a service dog after
Scotty escaped one day, and tried to take an unscheduled swim in
the lake - alone.
"I think the dog will be so ever present that Scott will bond.
It comes back to this idea of having sort of like a buddy or a
companion. Autistic people typically don't do well with friends.
This dog doesn't care that he's autistic. The dog will persevere,"
says Terry.
National Service Dogs works hard to place the right dog with an
autistic child. They believe a chocolate Labrador called Archie
will be a perfect match for Scotty.
"Archie is wonderful for our autism program because he's so
gentle. He's so patient and he's so tolerant with the people,
particularly children," says trainer, Wade Beattie.
The rest of the family connects instantly, but the most crucial
test will be whether or not Scotty takes to Archie.
Two weeks later, there's still a long way to go. But the magic
has already begun.
"I know it's going to take six months to a year for the
complete bonding to happen between Scott and the dog. But you can
kind of see they're pals. You can see there's that buddy kind of
companionship forming. So that's what I'm really looking forward
to," says Francine.
It's been three months since Archie came into Scotty's life.
Francine reports that are bonding well. They are definitely now a
"dog" family. Even their Siamese cat, Ella is slowly getting used
to sharing her home with a dog.
