A recent story in The Oregonian newspaper reports that a battle continues to allow a local boy with autism to attend school with his trained service dog.
The boy, Scooter Givens, who attends Patterson Elementary, is prone to violent outbursts, and his family maintains that the dog helps calm him.
Scooter is 10 years old, five feet tall and weighs 150 pounds.
His service dog, a German Shepherd named Madison, apparently helps Scooter in various ways - sitting down to keep him from bolting (the two are tethered together), and standing over him or even lying on him if Scooter gets really worked up.
Dogs have proven their service talent in many areas - from assisting the non-seeing and hard of hearing to predicting seizures in their owners. While I have never seen a service dog work with a person with autism, it is easy for me to believe they have the ability to do so.
In my own life, I've seen my sister, who has autism, connect easily and calmly with dogs. I never hesitate to bring my dog Dizzy along when Margaret and I do something, while I rarely introduce my sister to new people knowing they would stress her out.
The Hillsboro School District maintains that the dog is unnecessary because the teachers and staff can control Scooter's behavior on their own.
His family doesn't buy it, and I don't blame them. Just last week, Scooter ran across the room and punched a classmate.
When we were young, my sister's behavior was similar to Scooter's. She was also big, strong, and sometimes out of control. When Margaret had a meltdown, nobody could calm her. Trust me, I tried and watched everyone else try for more than thirty years.
If my family had hit upon a true solution like Madison, I would have been picketing the U.S. Dept. of Justice in my elementary school years.
School districts should trust this family. The Givenses live with Scooter, they know what sets him off, and they are the best qualified to judge what calms him down. The Hillsboro School District is making a mistake in failingl to embrace a simple, useful solution that would help Scooter and his classmates.
The Oregonian also reported last week that another student with autism attended school with his service dog for the first time.
A previous story about Scooter has generated a ongoing discussion on The Oregonian's website.
