Service dog helps child with autism connect in the classroom

"This dog, in only a few months, has helped more than we ever expected in areas we never expected."
- the Rev. Brandon Woosley, Zachary's fatherFor 4-year-old Zachary Woosley, getting through his daylong preschool class was like an eternity filled with distractions and interruptions.Nowadays, things are starting to change for this child with autism. This month, Zachary began attending school with Gemini, an 18-month-old chocolate Labrador retriever trained as an autism service dog. When accompanied by Gemini, Zachary is able to focus and get more out of his early childhood program at Benson Primary School in Itasca. "Things that Zachary would respond to only about 20 percent of the time increased to a response between 70 and 90 percent of the time when Gemini was with him," said Zachary's father, the Rev. Brandon Woosley."This dog, in only a few months, has helped more than we ever expected in areas we never expected."Service dogs like Gemini are a relatively new tool for families dealing with the effects of autism. And the dog's appearance the school met some resistance from parents. But Zachary's family and educators describe the benefits as "irrefutable."Gemini's arrivalZachary, the son of Christine and the Rev. Brandon Woosley of Bloomingdale's St. Paul Evangelical United Church of Christ, was diagnosed two years ago when doctors wondered why the 2-year old wasn't talking.After several therapy sessions and assessments by the state's Early Intervention Program, the Woosleys were told Zachary had a sensory integration disorder."I immediately went out and I Googled and up popped autism all over the place, and I just went 'Ah haa''" Christine Woosley said. The diagnosis eventually became autism, characterized by what Christine Woosley calls "a lot of obsessive climbing, lack of eye contact and lack of emotion."The climbing presents a host of problems because Zachary started disappearing from their Bloomingdale home. "With Zachary, he has a tendency to climb and he loves the outdoors, but problems began when he began to realize there was something outside of the backyard and he began climbing fences and out windows and down the street," she said."It became very clear that we needed a plan B so we know where this child is and what we need to do to keep him here."Doing more Web research, Christine found 4 Paws For Ability, a Dayton, Ohio-based agency that is one of only a few in the country that specializes in training Autism Assistance Dogs with scent-tracking abilities."When I realized they had dogs that were specialized in tracking, lights went off. That's what we need," Christine said. "If we could have a dog like that, if Zachary does get out and we can't find him, she can track him."Within a month of inquiring about getting a dog from the agency, the Woosleys had completed the humbling task of raising the required $12,000."Most of it came from the congregation and friends of folks in the congregation," Brandon Woosley said."People were very, very generous, and very swiftly we grew from about $1,000 to $11,000 in about two weeks." After an intense 10-day training program in February and March, the family had been trained to work with Gemini.The dog works as part of a three-point team: Zach, Gemini and a parent or someone else holding onto the leash. For instance, Zachary spends most time in public tethered to Gemini and grasping a handle on her harness while Brandon or Christine guide the dog on a leash.Irrefutable results"It was just amazing how very swiftly I realized Zachary was just comfortable with Gemini," Brandon Woosley said."We had expected tethering would keep him from escaping, but when he's got Gemini around, he doesn't even want to escape. He's comfortable and calm and it's amazing."Gemini also has helped Zachary focus and extend his attention span. By Easter, when Zachary was able to sit through the entire holiday church service, Gemini's impact was noticeable. "After church the whole congregation was asking,'What happened?' because they had never seen him sit like that before," Brandon said. "It was that swift."For Brandon and Christine and their 6-year-old son Joshua, going to the mall and eating out became possibilities again because Gemini's presence calms Zachary."There's a bond, but it's not quite a social or affectionate bond as much as it is a functional bond," Brandon said. "He knows that he needs her to function out there and she knows when she's got the harness on that it's time for her to do that."Yet, while Zachary's life was changing at home, his teachers weren't seeing the same results."At that moment, we all began to talk about the possibility of whether this application that we were seeing work in places like church, restaurants, stores and going out to the park would work at school," Brandon Woosley said. So the experiment began.During a four-week summer school course, Gemini attended class with Zachary on alternating days and teachers studied his behavior.Vic Morris, director of programs and operations for the Northern DuPage Special Education Cooperative, oversaw the brief study and said the results were irrefutable.Teachers collected data on Zachary's skills without Gemini in school so they had a baseline. Then they paid attention to how he worked in a group and how much one-on-one support time Zachary needed.They then collected the same data with Gemini at Zachary's side."The data clearly showed that Zachary made significant improvement in those areas," Morris said. "Primarily, the data showed a reduction in one-on-one support. With that information, our team decided the dog is necessary in school in order for Zachary to get the most from the educational program."Paving the wayA service dog assisting a person with autism is a fairly new concept. Lisa Goring, director of family services for Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism advocacy organization, said service dogs have become a more popular treatment for autism in the last decade.But it's still highly unusual to see them in schools. "In my time, I've only encountered one case where a student has brought a service dog into the classroom," Goring said. "It's certainly more of a novelty, but if it works for the child and school, that's awesome."So Morris knew the district would have to develop a cautious plan that would apply to any student who may require the help of a service dog in the future."The state board of education regards a service animal as a piece of adaptive equipment, just like a wheelchair, a cane, a walker or some piece of durable equipment that a child needs to help them function," Brandon Woosley said. "That's what Gemini is because she gives him security, confidence."She makes it possible for him to function socially in ways that he previously couldn't otherwise, and we think that's a really great thing."Within a matter of weeks, changes began happening at Benson to prepare for Gemini's Oct. 1 arrival. Principal Dawn Turner said a HEPA vacuum cleaner and an air purification machine were purchased for Zachary's classroom.About five weeks ago, letters were sent to parents and laminated signs were posted on doors around the school warning people of the dog's presence.Turner's letters garnered only two responses citing concerns. One was about children with allergies, another was concerned about students who are afraid of dogs.Itasca resident Megan Sheridan wrote one of the letters. She does not have children in the district's schools, but as a taxpayer is concerned about students with asthma and allergies and those who fear dogs."Are they making the proper provisions for the other children to contain the dog hair and keep the air circulation fresh?" she asked. "Will the dog be muzzled?"Sheridan said she never received satisfactory answers to those questions."I wish the child well, and I truly hope this therapy helps his development," she said. "But, as a taxpayer, I'm also concerned about property values."What happens when I try to sell my house and the purchaser learns that there's a dog roaming the halls in the school? That's something to consider."Turner said she believed the allergy concerns were addressed with the purchase of the cleaning equipment. The concern about any students with a fear of dogs was addressed during a recent student assembly where all students were invited to meet and pet Gemini.Since Gemini's arrival at school, Turner said the school has adjusted quickly and smoothly."It's been flawless, so I couldn't have asked for it to go any smoother," Turner said. "Remarkably, Zachary also has adjusted fairly quickly and in a positive manner." Brandon Woosley hopes society begins to recognize that service dogs make it possible for people like Zachary to function more confidently, more securely and more safely.After three weeks, he believes it's working."Gemini is doing well in all phases -- going to school on the bus, getting there and being there and getting home. Zachary has been more attentive in class and doing the things we hoped," Brandon Woosley said."It's going to take time to see if this results in significant changes in what he's learning, but he is paying more attention and participating more in class."If Zachary continues to progress, his father believes the future holds no bounds. Ultimately, the family hopes Zachary and Gemini can serve as an example for other families dealing with autism."If his response is . . . typical, that could be transforming kids' lives all over the place. If we can do that, why not do that? "Zach gets to help pave the way for that." 316512School officials say Zachary Woosley's ability to focus and remain attentive improved dramatically when Gemini started joining him at school.Tanit Jarusan | Staff Photographer 512505Second grade Roshad Kawaja checks Gemini.Tanit Jarusan | Staff Photographer