Autistic Boy’s School Says No To Service Dog
In St. Paul, MN an 8-year-old named Wally LaBerge has a Golden Retriever. Many children have dogs, what makes Wally’s story unusual is that his dog is connected to him with a harness to help teach him.
Wally has autism which makes it difficult to interact with other people. Last year his doctors thought a service dog may help with socialization, as well as keeping down anxiety. After Wally passed the qualifications to get a service dog, his mother Victoria contacted Wally’s school to advise them of the situation.
The St. Paul School District does not have a service dog policy, so Como Park Elementary told Victoria they’d have Newman come to school on a trial basis. For three weeks, Wally’s team gathered numeric data on his social interaction and anxiety.
“We first must determine if the dog is needed in order for the child to benefit from special education,” said Cecelia Dodge, St. Paul School District’s Director of Special Education. She declined to discuss the specifics of Wally’s case.
Victoria said the district would not provide a handler, so she volunteered to go to school with Wally and Newman each day. She said Como Park Elementary set strict rules to prevent Victoria from interfering with the learning process.
To the school, that meant Victoria wasn’t allowed to talk to Wally or any of the other children in the class. Victoria thought the trial run unfair because she believed it was too short and didn’t allow Newman and Wally to interact like they’d been trained.
“They essentially interfered with the team process of Wally and Newman,” she said.
On Wednesday Victoria was informed by Como Park Elementary that Newman would not be allowed back to school. The school district did not feel Newman was of benefit to Wally in the public school setting and therefore chose against his being there.
The decision can be appealed, but the family has decided to sue the school to see if it would help get Newman back in school sooner.
Since there was no policy in the school regarding service dogs it was ultimately up to them to decide. Do you think the decision was fair? Would Newman be more distracting to the other children than beneficial to Wally? Give me a bark, share your thoughts.
* Photo of Newman courtesy wcco.com.
I have seen dogs do amazing things with juveniles who have committed serious, violent crimes. The abilities of a dog to teach empathy and connectedness are uncanny and shouldn’t be blocked due to “lack of evidence”. If problems present, then to back to the drawboard, don’t just erase everything.
that’s ridiculous. the kids would get used to having the dog in the school after a little while and then there wouldn’t be disruption.
My son has Autism & has had a service animal for about 4 years. She has done more for him….more than any medication, therapy, school-anything. My son graduated from high school and was accepted in an engineering program at a very prestigious top ten university. I know down in my heart he would not be there had it not been for his service animal. You keep that dog & keep on the path you are on. Parents know what is best, NOT the school. Trust me.
Thanks for posting this. I was the person that submitted it to the blog. I was in shock when I read this story online this morning. A good friend of mine is a special ed teacher and specifically teaches autistic children. I know what a great aide these dogs are. I only hope that the parents law suit sheds some light on this issue and will allow Wally to bring his dog back to school.
I use to work in a school for the handicap and we had service dogs come and work with the kids all the time. I worked in a high school where one of our students had a service dog that woiuld carry the studen’s supplies and was like his hands when he needed help.Now I work in a inner city public school and we have dogs come and the kids read to the dogs. We have big dogs, little dogs, young dogs & old dogs. The kids love it.
These educators need to look beyond themselves and see how this dog is benefiting the child in the long run as well as his classmates.
The main point is that the child is NOT capable of handling the dog and was sold to be part of a triad (IE an adult is the third party). The school should not have to hire someone to be the dog’s handler; that is something the parents should have done with input from the school (so the hiree could meet school criteria and background checks).
“Encouraging social interaction” is not a task. Stopping the child from bolting, SAR if the kid runs while not tethered, and redirecting stemming type behaviors are tasks.
I know first hand how much a SD can enrich the life of a PWD. That said, case law has shown that the courts don’t view children with disabilities the same way they do adults. If this child was older and capable of handling the dog (and the dog not specifically trained to be part of a triad), it would be a different situation.
I went to school in a small town but there was a blind girl & nobody even questioned (this was BEFORE laws for the handicapped were passed) that her dog was with her. I see no difference. Shame on that cold hearted school!
That’s not right. What if he was blind?
NAUGHTY PEOPLE
The ADA does NOT apply to classrooms, because it only guarantees access to public accommodations, and the public cannot access children’s schoolrooms. It is therefore up to the school to decide which service teams they wish to allow in the classroom and which they exclude. So many people think only on the side of the disabled, and don’t think about the 30-odd other students, all of whom have rights too, and would be exposed to allergies, pet hair/dander, and constant distraction. If this was a guide dog with many trained tasks needed in the classroom, that might be one thing, and the school district probably would have made a different decision. But this dog apparently performs no trained tasks in the classroom, and is needed solely for socialization — which, frankly, could be done by a really cool stuffed animal. IMO the district made the right decision.
Oh please have a heart! this is a child that needs help and the dog is there to provide it.
If St Paul School District doesn’t have a service dog policy they need to set one fast.
Banning a service dog is not the way to go about doing your job.
Shame on you people!
Several years ago I started reading story books to my furkids during storms.I would get a blanket and they would all lay down around me and I would read to them. I would tell my friends I did this and they thought I was nuts. Today they use dogs for kids with reading problems. I dont understand why people dont get what animals can do for us.The children in the school will soon get used to Newman and they could also learn alot from him. I dont know why the U.S.A. is so backward aout what animals can do for us,.In alot of countries dogs are allowed to go everywhere with their owners if we could do that, there would be alot less dog attacks and life would be alot more loving. MY son is a school teacher and has had his dog Gable for fourteen yrs.He loves him very much but, he still doesnt get what my dogs do for me.
Go ahead take the dog away. And see how far the child falls behind! The schools dont know sh–. And especially about the kids who are with special needs. Why dont they try walking a mile in the other persons shoes!! Then ask them how they feel?
At the high school I taught at we have Ag programs. One was for large animals and the other was for small animals. The small animal program was a Vet Tec program. The instructor of this program started a puppy for the service dog program. The puppy went to classes with the students just as a service dog. There were no problems all year long. The students did have to learn not to pet the puppy in training.
I am a therapy dog team member and my yorkie is a registered therapy dog. Therapy dogs have improved health to those in nursing home. In my area, the public library has reading programs for children with difficulties in reading. The child reads to the dog. Children are showing improved reading scores with use of a therapy dogs.
Nancy, there is a HUGE difference between high school aged children caring for a dog and an eight year old with special needs. The dog was trained as part of a triad, that mean that a trained third party has to remain in control of the dog at all times. If the kid were older (and the dog trained to do tasks that mitigate the child’s disability), then it would be a different ballgame.
To some of the other posters, it isn’t about having or not having a heart. It is that the school district shouldn’t have to hire someone to pet sit all day.
Understanding that the school would not hire a handler, it sounds like his mother volunteered for the job which sounds good for both parties. Free for the school and somebody else to make Wally comfortable. With that said I feel that the school should let them function as a group if his mother continues to be the handler. I also think they should run the test period again and let the Wally and Newman interact as they were intended. This would give them an idea of how he was supposed to help Wally and to see if it really interferes with the rest of class.
This child is not capable of handling or caring for the dog himself. If the dogs primary function is to assist the child in socializing, then having the mother there negates much possible socialization. Children are not as likely to socialize with a child who has an adult with them at all times. The mother has been trained to work with the dog, but does she have the training to assist her son in the classroom? Does she have the training to understand the rest of the kids and their needs? Does she have the training to judge whether she is interfering with even one other child’s learning? She can have the dog with her son at all events at the school open to the public and they cannot stop her such as Christmas concerts, soccer, and other events where the children are more likely to want to interact with her boy and his dog and where her son can be allowed to engage or not. I applaud the parents for doing everything possible for theirs son, but let’s not forget school is a place where all children’s needs come into play.
I have taught Special Education for 12 years. This whole situation boils down to what the child’s IEP (Individualzed Education Plan) says. If the IEP states there is a need for the dog, they have to let the dog come to school with the child and the school could be made to provide the handler. Whether or not a school has a “service dog” policy, what the IEP says is law. An IEP is a federal, legal binding contract and has to be followed. I’ll definitely be following this story.
Kristi, Who writes the IEP? Is it not the teacher, school and case workers for the student? I don’t think you are going to see them win this case.
What if (ok, just what if) you have another student in the class with a fear of dogs? Very common with SpEd kids. Or one that is seriously allergic to dogs? Should that child be displaced? What then?
I have worked with Autistic children and I am sure there are other ways to socialize these kids. I have to agree with Helen on the ADA……..doesn’t apply here.
Certainly an IEP would have taken care of this. To IMO. public education in this country is a waste of time for any child typically developing or otherwise.
I will have to DISAGREE with everyone who is commenting about how the ADA DOESN’T APPLY when it comes to schools. School Districts allow the Public’s children too go to there schools, no matter if it is public or private, therefore, that means the ADA DOES APPLY due to the fact that children are considered part of the GENERAL PUBLIC, so, schools are still considered public. The only time schools are considered private property is when the schools are closed. If the parents of disabled children prefer to have a service dog to help there children go on with there life on & off school campuses instead of shipping them off to other schools that are more equipped to deal with their children, then thats the parents choice & the school has to work around that dog, now if other children have fears of big dogs or are allergic to dogs then move those kids to another room. Also when it comes to young school children with a disablity not being able to handle a big service dog, I say if one of the parents is willing to help their child(ren) with handling the service dog at school, go for it, because as long as the parent is not disrupting class in away, then go ahead. As for the ADA, it is a FEDERAL LAW, and if anyone brokes this law they should be subjected to being sued.
This is very unfortunate and I don’t agree with the school’s decision. It’s well documented how animals can get through to kids with disabilities where no teacher can. I’ve seen this first hand with my niece who has autism. First they mainstream these kids because of funding problems, then they don’t allow the tools they need to learn – it’s outrageous.
i think for the first few weeks it could be a distraction but in short order the kids would get used to having wally there and he would be a hugh help to everyone including the adults who think he shouldnt be there.
To the best of my knowledge, there is no case law regarding whether or not the ADA is applicable to public school classrooms. The same goes for Sec. 504 of the rehab act or IDEA or NCLB with regard to public accommodations. If someone has info (case law not regulatory language or administrative decisions) to the contrary pls post source(s). An IEP would seem to be ideal but raises issues as well (who pays,supervises,etc). In this case the family supplied the dog and would have taken responsibility for supervision of the SD in the classroom. There is the Cave lawsuit in NYS pending on appeal in Federal District Court but the child involved is a teen capable and trained to supervise his hearing alert dog.To the best of my knowledge no provider of autism dogs for young children supply a dog without the understanding that an adult trained by them will supervise. Personally I think the school district could not have done their homework regarding the benefits of having an autism service dog in the classroom working for a child and this is not an informed decision.
This may be a bit off topic, but it illustrates a point at how ridiculous our educational system has gotten. We spend millions of dollars creating curricula in hundreds of languages instead of requiring that all children in public schools speak English, yet a medical condition that the child had no choice in is not being handled. You have a choice to learn English or not, you don’t have a choice wether you are autistic or not, seems to me that money is better spent handling the handler.
oops. I meant “hiring the handler”
Scooter’s mom
My certification is K-12. In 25 years of teaching I specialized in early childhood and taught in elementary school. I taught middle and high school. In one elem. school observers wore sungrasses and the children were told to pretend they were not there. And they did, children are amazing. I also had many exceptional ed students mainstreamed into my classes. I would rather have a dog calming student in class then have a child out of control and try to teach. But, I have seen teachers not wanting a teacher doing sign language to deaf students in their class. We the adults have more problems adjusting.
I know firsthand what these dogs can do for a child. People need to open their minds and hearts.
http://www.guidingeyes.org/site/PageServer?pagename=stu_autism
Nancy, I know kids can ignore basically anything if you work at it. If you are referring to the mother, I agree the other kids could probably ignore her, but will her own child ignore her and (ultimately the bigger question) can she ignore her urge to assist him. That is why I say the parents failed by not offering to go with someone who is qualified (by school standards) and background checked (again by school standards) to be the handler in this case.
I think a lot of the problems rest with the programs that are churning out these dogs. Many of them are, at best, skilled home companions (for the most part) intended to encourage socialization with peers, but also trained for public tethering tasks and SAR (most of the time) and are meant to be a triad. Parents don’t always pay attention to that. All they see is an additional “set of hands” to help control Little Jimmy in addition to something that has the potential to help him connect with his peers. The dog doesn’t to any “tasks” for the child, just for the parents They don’t consider how the school will respond, then get upset because the school says No.
(a little sarcasm) I guess the easiest solution, once more parents jump on the bandwagon, would be to set hooks/rings into the floor (spaced so they can’t touch each other) to attach the dogs’ leashes. The kid is tethered to the dog, and one teacher can supervise X number of children. That would solve the problem of those children trying to run away, it lets the dog into the classroom. It still doesn’t help with the argument of having someone who is trained to handle the dogs or qualified to use one if Little Jimmy unhooks his tether and makes a run for it.
Susan, it isn’t an animal size issue, it is a child maturity issue. BTW, a government funded “public” school room isn’t necessarily considered a public place. Some states have additional laws that cover this specifically. The train of thought is that since Joe Blow off the street must get permission from the office to go to a specific classroom to see Joe Jr, then it isn’t a place of public accommodation. Football games or school festivals that are open to the general public are places of accommodation.
ADA might not apply here, but the IDEA (Individual’s With Disabilities Education Act) will. Yes, the parents, students, teachers, caseworkers, principals, nurses, SPED coordinators, all write the IEP. In this case, the parents could bring in their lawyer, doctors, student advocates, etc. into the IEP meeting and these people will be come a part of the IEP team. There is no “blanket” answer for cases like this. You definitely have to look at the dynamics of the school as a whole, the classroom environment, the students, etc.
And I thought that Minnesota was slightly more progressive than that! Shame on the school system for being undeducated! Obviously a lawsuit might change their minds! However, owning a service animal myself now for over 10 years, I absolutely know how incredible they are and how very beneficial they are not only to the owner but to surroundings at it affords countless oportunities to educate people on the various types of service dogs and their functions. I advocate for animals at every turn and hope that the School Board has a change of heart and steps into the 21st century. The boy is being deprived of us rights and for that, the parents should take the school to court and task!
St. Paul Schools have a backward special education department with few resources for kids. They also do not work well with parents. We went through many awul IEP meetings in that District and finally moved to a better one. I would suggest that this family not waste their time or money and do the same…
I have attended college for 6 yrs. with my service dogs. Initially, the dog IS the center of attention. A GOOD instructor will recognize this and use it to develope concepts,community and foster social interaction. We often visit the K-12 classes and believe me, the kids lose interest and accept the presence of a dog more quickly than adults do.It is definately wrong and discriminatory to prevent any child from the benefits of a canine assisted education.In the process of denying this team access, the school is inadvertantly denying All of it’s students and faculty a myriad of learning and socially enlightening expiriences.FYI, class averages and project quality in the class sections we are in are higher…
I have a 5 year who will soon be receiving his autistic service dog. People who don’t have a autistic child have no idea the problems a parent faces. We are getting this dog as a service dog not a pet. Like many autistic children Jonathan runs if your not holding his hand, he will have melt downs for no reason, he picks at scabs until they bleed. This dog is trained to help with all of that and keep him safe. If he runs out of the class room and out the door at school before anyone can stop him, he’s locked out of the school, what then. If no one sees him get out the door he’s gone, he would not remember that you have to go to the front of the building and ring the bell to get back in. If he has a melt down in class, it’s much more distracting for the other children to see that, then to have a dog sleeping under Jonathans chair helping keep him calm. While we hope that this dog will help him make some new friends. That is not what this dog is about and not what Wally is about. It’s about keeping a child focased so that he can learn to the best of his ability. I don’t care what it takes it’s every childs right to be able learn at there own ability, and the schools responsibility to use anything and everything to help that process. Will the kids be distracted by the dog, I think at first they will, but then he’ll just become part of the class like everyone else. It will seem normal to them, the only people who won’t think it’s normal are the adults. What better way to help a child with a fear of dogs get over that fear then introducing them to a service dog, and asking that child to read to him or show him something. I can’t think of anything better for any child.
As for a handler. Jonathan has someone with him every minute of the day while at school. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t break away and run, but he has is reg teacher, when he goes to the special needs class that teacher comes to get him and walks with him to that class, when he goes to speach that teacher comes and gets him. When he goes to lunch he has an aid help him at lunch. It’s a group effort not just one person all the time. Why can’t that happen with this little boy and Wally. Why have one special handler when so many people are involved. Don’t make this harder then it is.
I don’t know what is going to happen when we get to school with our Ace. There are a lot of questions the school system has. I’m looking for answers. I do know that Ace will help keep him facased, calm, and safe. If it helps him make new friends great.
I will be watching for news on Wally. I’m glad of the law suit, do what it takes for your child if you don’t stand up for him no one else will.
this kid needs this dog.it’s can help him.it’s one thing if it’s a healthy kid bringing a dog to school.its another thing if its a kids with a illness brings a SERVICE DOG.
Cindy,
I would love to talk to you more about your experience with your son. I am a teacher who just received a new service dog yesterday and I am having trouble integrating it into the classroom. I want to make this work, but I’d like some of your feedback. Please write me at kari_challgren@yahoo.com
That’s Too nice, when it comes in india hope it can make a Rocking place for youngster.. hope that come true.
Hello Guru, what entice you to post an article. This article was extremely interesting, especially since I was searching for thoughts on this subject last Thursday.
I, too, have a service dog for socialization and anxiety-and, while I share the outrage of Wally’s parents at having the dog excluded from the school. I also understand the way the service animal laws are. Because my dog is not trained to perform a specific task for me-he has been excluded from going certain places with me, and, technically he is considered a theraputic companion animal, and not a service animal. I feel that if the dog is not disruptive he should be able to go anywhere the child is, and I do feel that the school is being unreasonable. I hope the parents win their lawsuit
Dogs in schools are a huge topic – particularly in the States.
While Newman may provide valuable support and therapy for wally, you do have to look at things from the schools point of view as well. They are responsible for the safety and welfare of Wally, his class, and the rest of the school.
Having a legal right to take the dog places is not actually a right – it is a responsiility. The family has a responsible to think of the impact that having Newman at school will have on the other students and the faculty – and on Newman himself. There may be children who are allergic to, or afraid of dogs and those childrens rights also need to be considered. And who is responsible for making sure that Newmans welfare is looked after? It shouldn’t be the responsibility of the teacher to look after the dog – and having a parent in the classroom everyday is not a good option either.
I know that some people would say what do I know – I have a nephew who lives with me who has autism, and he would qualify for an autism assistance dog. Even if he did have a dog I would not send the dog to school with him as it is not fair on the dog. While I do support the use of autism dogs, there is a time and a place for them and schools are not that place – unless there is a teachers aisde involved who can take the dog for toilet breaks, and take the dog out to play and have a break from working mode. Autism dogs that are kept in cape for long periods (like going to school with their child) often appear exhausted, show behavioural problems, and show signs of stress related illnesses.
Think of the dog as well as the child when choosing battles like this – sometimes having the legal right doesn’t make it the right thing to do.
Marie wrote, “Autism dogs that are kept in cape for long periods (like going to school with their child) often appear exhausted, show behavioural problems, and show signs of stress related illnesses.”
Wow, you must see a lot of Autism Assist Dogs to make such generalized statements. Would that also include Hearing Dogs, Guide Dogs, Seizure or Diabetic Alert Dogs – all of whom “work” all day long for their owners?