Article Author name: Wendy Owen
Title of article: Hillsboro School District Allows Boy with Autism to Have His Dog in Class
Title of journal: The Oregonian
Date of publication: Friday March 4, 2011
http://www.oregonlive.com/hillsboro/index.ssf/2011/03/hillsboro_school_district_allows_boy_with_autism_to_have_his_dog_in_class.html
Intended audience: Policy makers, administrators, educators students and parents
After three years of petitioning the Hillsboro School District to allow 4th grade student Jordan “Scooter” Givens to have his German Shepard companion Madison in class, he has won the right. The Department of Justice formally “requested” that Scooter and Madison be given a trial period after the DOJ, along with Disability Rights Oregon, filed a lawsuit against the district. Scooter’s mom, Wendy, is grateful for the result but can’t help wonder how much Scooter could have accomplished during the last three years had they not had to wait for this result. Scooter often has violent and loud outbursts as a result of his autism which, the Givens insist, can be curbed by the calming presence of the family dog, which will be trained as a service dog. Scooter wears a belt that’s attached to Madison’s harness, and when a meltdown occurs, Madison is able to hunker down which prevents Scooter from flailing and becoming dangerous. Madison often calms Scooter by placing on a kind arm on his arm or leg, or if Scooter has a tantrum on the floor Madison is able to lay beside or on top of him to stop the panic attack. Ultimately, the school district and the Department of Justice agreed that it made more sense to compromise on a practical solution as opposed to spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in the litigation of a rights violation.
Anytime a new precedent is set within the schools I think it becomes relevant to people within the community, especially the teachers, parents and students. This change will not only pave the way for other students with similar needs, but it affects the teachers facilitating the class as well as other students participating in the class. Is this going to distract other students, or will it work to advantage other students within special education classes? I’m really curious to see how this policy affects the classroom, and of course my hope is that the service dog will do a great service for the learning of those with disabilities, and prove that the benefit of this exception far outweighs any negative consequences.
YEAH! I love service dogs - well all dogs but this touches my heart. I don't have any good reason like Autism but I can definitely say that my dogs calm me. I have been thinking about the prospect of having a future class help raise a service dog as a community service project. Maybe this court decision can help me get that passed??? There is research to support the use of service dogs - would it have taken 3 years if the boy was blind?
ReplyDeleteSuper interesting article! I also LOVE dogs, big dogs to boot ;) I had an Akita for a long time, and she was the biggest cuddly teddy bear of a dog ever. That being said, I am curious how the other students in the classroom are reacting to the dog? A German Sheppard is a big dog that could be quite intimidating/scary for other students. I know many adults that are scared of dogs that size. How fantastic though that the family dog can have such a great impact on their son. I have spent some time working with autistic kids, one, the son of a friend, always seems to be around their family dogs as well... Just like Jessica said, I find dogs, or even my cat, to be a huge comfort when I am feeling upset, sick, etc. It is almost like aniimals have that sixth sense where they can tell something is wrong and seem to know just what to do to comfort you :)
ReplyDeleteSince I have an autistic child, I definitely have a strong opinion on this subject. I think it is a wonderful idea, but not only because of the dog helping the autistic child but, to answer Jessica D.'s question, because in other articles I have read on this case, the dog calmed the other kids as well. Talk about a "win-win"!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Doug in terms of trying to find a balance between the needs of one student versus the rest. It really is up to the teacher, with supervision from the principal, to make this kind of call. I am ok with dogs now, but I was really afraid of them as a child, and having a big dog in class would really have freaked me out. But knowing the purpose of the dog, knowing that the dog is there to help a fellow classmate, i think i would have been ok with it. The teacher knows their students, they know if they could handle this kind of thing in the classroom or not.
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