[nagdu] Missing Washington Co. Boy Found After 5-Mile Barefoot Walk

[Susan Jones]

What I wonder is, why wasn't the dog with him?
Don't autistic kids who have dogs usually stay tethered to their dogs most
of the time?

I think the reason they called it a guide dog is that some career-change
guide dogs are trained & placed with autistic children.
I know that Guiding Eyes has such a program.
Susan & Rhoda
 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Ginger Kutsch
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 6:37 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: [nagdu] Missing Washington Co. Boy Found After 5-Mile Barefoot Walk

Missing Washington Co. Boy Found After 5-Mile Barefoot Walk Autistic
10-Year-Old Reported Missing From Canton Township
POSTED: 6:31 am EDT May 17, 2010
 
CANTON, Pa. --
A 10-year-old boy who suffers from severe autism has been found safe after
he was reported missing from his Washington County home.
 
Bradley Dallatore was reported missing shortly after 9 p.m.
Sunday by his parents in Canton Township.
 
Bob Dallatore, Bradley's father, said that because of his son's autism,
Bradley doesn't always understand boundaries.
 
"It's very common. They have no sense of danger. Don't understand what
they're doing when they're doing it. It's very nerve-wracking to have him
out there," Bob Dallatore said.
 
Police said Bradley wandered away from his home and walked five miles,
barefoot, along the railroad tracks near Washington Park, where he was
spotted by a neighbor.
 
A little less than two hours after he was reported missing, he was returned
home. Despite a route littered with trash and broken glass, Bradley's
mother, Linda Dallatore, said her son was not hurt.
 
"It was wonderful to see him. Seeing the beautiful smile on his face. The
minute he saw me he gets this big old grin. He says, 'I found you.' I said,
'Yes, you found me. But don't ever do that again,'" Linda Dallatore said.
 
Channel 4 Action News first met Bradley in April 2008 when his mother asked
for help because Bradley's Washington County school, Trinity West
Elementary, wouldn't allow the child's guide dog on school grounds.
 
The dog remains banned from the building and the Dallatores filed a lawsuit
in response.
 
Trained guide dogs can help calm children with autism, reduce emotional
outbursts and increase their mobility and socialization.
 
Bradley now attends Pressley Ridge School on Pittsburgh's North Side, where
the dog is welcomed.
 
The new school is an hour away from his home, but Bradley's parents said he
is thriving there, thanks in part to the black lab that can gently nudge him
out of an episode.
 
"Once the dog starts touching him, he is able to refocus his attention to
the dog and then he's able to walk away," Bob Dallatore said.
 
The family is considering getting a second guide dog that specializes in
tracking scents, in case Bradley wanders off again.
 
For more information about service dogs, visit 4pawsforability.org.
 
AutismLink operates the Autism Center of Pittsburgh, providing parent
support and services in the North Hills, Moon Township and the South Hills.
For information about how a grant might be able to help a needy family get
an animal, call 412-364-1886.
 
Source:
http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/washington/23575737/detail.ht
ml

_______________________________________________
nagdu mailing list
nagdu at nfbnet.org
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu:
http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/sblanjones11%40sbcglo
bal.net