[nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl, service dog - The Athens Messenger: News

Cindy Ray cindyray at gmail.com
Tue Aug 27 02:28:29 UTC 2013 

CCI is Canine Companions International and is, I think, the largest training facility for service dogs other than g uide dogs in this country.

Cindy Lou

On Aug 26, 2013, at 8:49 PM, Janice Toothman <janice.toothman at verizon.net> wrote:

> 
> Hi Michael,
> What is CCI? Can you tell me more about what they do? Thanks.
> Janice
> On 8/26/2013 5:38 PM, Michael Hingson wrote:
>> Given that the child is autistic in fact the dog may well have been trained
>> by an organization like CCI.  Many times the dog does act as a calming
>> factor while the dog is actually commanded by someone else like the mother.
>> This is not an unusual situation, but the dog is, by any definition, a
>> service animal.  I have been to CCI and heard lectures on how animals are
>> trained to work with autistic children.
>> 
>> 
>> Best,
>> 
>> 
>> Michael Hingson
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ann Edie
>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 02:33 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl,
>> service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>> 
>> Other interesting aspects of this case:
>> 
>> The mother plans to attend school daily with her daughter.--This indicates
>> to me, as does the age of the child, that the partnership between the girl
>> and the dog is not that of a person with a disability working independently
>> with a service animal.  It seems more that the parent handles the dog and
>> the presence of the dog has a calming effect on the child or something like
>> that.  The dog may or may not be trained to perform specific tasks to
>> mitigate the child's disability.  It might be more of a "social dog" as I
>> have heard them referred to, something to encourage interaction with peers
>> and others in the environment.  Or it may be that the dog does specific
>> things to help the child regain control when she is feeling overwhelmed or
>> upset, or keeps her on route when she is going somewhere.  But I doubt that
>> this young a child is being allowed to go anywhere alone.  If the mother
>> weren't there to handle the dog, the district would probably have to hire a
>> 1:1 aide to handle the dog, and that person would have to be trained in how
>> to manage the dog.  This is an expense that most districts could not justify
>> educationally, I believe.
>> 
>> In my experience the school may have more of an issue with the mother
>> wanting to attend school with her child than with the dog.  Today's
>> confidentiality regulations make it very hard to have parents as well as
>> other members of the public in classrooms where they would have access to
>> protected information about other children.  Nowadays everyone in the school
>> building, including volunteers, must be fingerprinted and background
>> checked, and they wouldn't be allowed there on a regular basis unless they
>> were employees of the district, only on specific parent visiting days or
>> other special events, at least in the schools I have worked with.
>> 
>> As I said, this is a very interesting case, and we'll see how it shakes out.
>> 
>> Ann
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ann Edie
>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 1:51 PM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl,
>> service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>> 
>> Perhaps the family never let the school know that the girl would be
>> accompanied by the dog, just presuming that the school would have to accept
>> the dog under the provisions of the ADA, although the law as it applies to
>> students attending public schools is not completely straightforward, as far
>> as I know.  It's different for a student (child) than it would be, for
>> example, for a teacher with a disability who uses a service animal or even a
>> parent visitor to the building who uses a service animal.  It will be
>> interesting to follow this case and see how it progresses.
>> 
>> Ann
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of minh ha
>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 9:43 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl,
>> service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>> 
>> I agree with Julie. Something smells super fishy. ... Didn't the article say
>> that the teacher wasn't even there on the first day and that somebody else
>> told the family that she was allergic to dogs?
>> 
>> Minh
>> 
>> On 8/26/13, Julie J. <julielj at neb.rr.com> wrote:
>>> The thing I'm confused about is how the teacher didn't know the girl
>>> was going to be accompanied by her service dog.  I'm convinced there
>>> had to be IEP meetings.  I'm pretty sure the classroom teacher attends
>>> these.  I'm also pretty sure that the topic of the dog would have come
>>> up.  Couldn't the
>>> 
>>> teacher have mentioned the allergy so arrangements could have been
>>> worked out in advance?  Waiting until the first day of school to
>>> figure this out seems like a plan for failure.
>>> 
>>> Or maybe that was the plan all along?
>>> 
>>> Julie
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Marsha Drenth
>>> Sent: Monday, August 26, 2013 11:28 AM
>>> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic
>>> girl,service dog - The Athens Messenger: News
>>> 
>>> I'd like for one of the legal minds to comment on this. Whose rights
>>> have to
>>> 
>>> be  observed here? personally my opinion is that the teacher, needs
>>> then to
>>> 
>>> move schools, not eh child. Again that is my opinion. I am curious...
>>> 
>>> Marsha drenth
>>> Sent with my IPhone
>>> 
>>> On Aug 25, 2013, at 8:54 AM, "Ginger Kutsch" <GingerKutsch at yahoo.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Teacher's allergy disrupts plans for autistic girl, service dog - The
>>>> Athens
>>>> Messenger: News
>>>> 
>>>> Athens Messenger
>>>> 
>>>> Source:
>>>> 
>>>> http://www.athensohiotoday.com/news/teacher-s-allergy-disrupts-plans-
>>>> for-aut
>>>> istic-girl-service-dog/article_5b4859e2-a4b1-568a-adb8-acc649e08556.h
>>>> tml
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Shyanna Gretz, 6, of The Plains, is seen with her new service dog
>>>> Spring last month. After attending her first day of school at
>>>> Morrison-Gordon Elementary
>>>> 
>>>> on Monday, the school informed Shyanna's family that their autistic
>>>> daughter and service dog would have to transfer schools as Morrison's
>>>> K-3 special education
>>>> 
>>>> teacher is severely allergic to dog dander.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> By Sara Brumfield Messenger staff journalist
>>>> 
>>>> As Shyanna Gretz, an autistic 6-year-old from The Plains, and her new
>>>> service dog Spring attended their first day of first grade at
>>>> Morrison-Gordon Elementary
>>>> 
>>>> on Monday, her family was hoping for a smooth transition into Athens
>>>> City Schools. But a special education teacher's severe allergy to dog
>>>> dander has caused
>>>> 
>>>> a hiccup in the family's schooling plan.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> The Messenger has written several stories about the Gretz family and
>>>> their journey to get a service dog for Shyanna, who has had a history
>>>> of extreme mood
>>>> 
>>>> fluctuations and wandering off. After two years of fundraising and
>>>> waiting, the family welcomed a 1-year-old black Labrador retriever,
>>>> Spring, into their
>>>> 
>>>> lives last month.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Since Spring's arrival, Shyanna's mother Charla told The Messenger
>>>> that her daughter's moods have been more in line with her peers and
>>>> that family outings
>>>> 
>>>> that were once impossible are now achievable.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Shyanna attended kindergarten at Beacon School on West Union Street
>>>> last year. Beacon, operated by the Athens County Board of
>>>> Developmental Disabilities,
>>>> 
>>>> is a school designed to serve students with special needs in all five
>>>> of the county's public school districts.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> According to Charla, it was determined that Shyanna should be
>>>> integrated into the Athens City School District this year and the
>>>> family made plans for Shyanna
>>>> 
>>>> to attend Morrison-Gordon Elementary, which is located next to Beacon
>>>> School.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> However, at the end of the day on Monday, Charla (who plans to attend
>>>> school with Shyanna on a daily basis) was told that her daughter
>>>> would have to transfer
>>>> 
>>>> to a different elementary school because the K-3 Individualized
>>>> Education Plan teacher at Morrison is severely allergic to dog dander.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Athens City Schools Supt. Carl Martin told The Messenger on Friday
>>>> that only two of the district's four elementary schools have programs
>>>> for autistic students
>>>> 
>>>> - Morrison-Gordon and East Elementary. He said that Morrison has two
>>>> teachers for the program - one who serves grades K-3 and another
>>>> serving grades 4-6
>>>> 
>>>> - and East has one teacher. The district's middle and high schools
>>>> also have such programs.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> He said it's not uncommon for special needs students to begin their
>>>> education at Beacon School and then move into the public school system.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> "We have a fair amount of autistic kids in the district," Martin said.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> While switching elementary schools may seem like a simple enough
>>>> solution, Charla said her daughter doesn't cope well with change or
>>>> riding the school
>>>> 
>>>> bus. She told The Messenger that the bus ride to East Elementary
>>>> would be longer and that the change in surroundings could be a
>>>> setback for Shyanna.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Martin emphasized that East Elementary is only five miles from the
>>>> Gretz's home in The Plains and the bus ride wouldn't be much
>>>> different than it is
>>>> 
>>>> to
>>>> 
>>>> Morrison-Gordon.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> According to Martin, he was unaware that the Morrison-Gordon K-3
>>>> special education teacher was allergic to dogs until Monday
>>>> afternoon. Charla said the
>>>> 
>>>> teacher was out sick on Monday, but the school told her that Shyanna
>>>> and Spring could not return to Morrison because of the teacher's allergy.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> When asked if returning to Beacon would be an option for Shyanna,
>>>> Martin said that would have to be worked out between the family and
>>>> Beacon School.
>>>> He
>>>> 
>>>> said that it's not uncommon for students to return to Beacon after
>>>> they've tried public schools.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> The Gretz' youngest child, Conner, attends pre-school at Beacon.
>>>> Charla said her son has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
>>>> (ADHD) and oppositional
>>>> 
>>>> defiant disorder (ODD).
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Charla said she will meet with members of the Athens City School
>>>> District
>>>> 
>>>> on
>>>> Sept. 3 regarding their options for Shyanna's schooling. Martin said
>>>> the district
>>>> 
>>>> had hoped to meet with the family sooner, but the family's schedule
>>>> didn't allow for that.
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> "The dog is not the issue," Martin said. "The issue is where can I
>>>> serve this child in a program that works for everyone. East is a
>>>> wonderful school in
>>>> 
>>>> a wonderful building."
>>>> 
>>>> sbrumfield at athensmessenger.com
>>>> 
>>>> ; Twitter @SaraBmessenger.
>>>> 
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>> 
>> --
>> "All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty
>> recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity:
>> but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their
>> dreams with open eyes, to make them possible." T. E. Lawrence
>> 
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> 
> 
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