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Doggone miracle

Two therapy companions completely transform Stony Mountain autistic boy's life

By: Charlene Adam

Posted: 11/29/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

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Kyle Richardson suffers from autism, but Delilah and Bella, his therapy dogs, have made his life easier and happier.

Every kid should have a dog, some need two. This is the case for Kyle Richardson.

Richardson is a six-year-old from Stony Mountain. At three, he was diagnosed with autism, global developmental delay, adaptive delay, ADHD, anxiety disorder and wandering, his mother Dusti Richardson says.

Like other boys his age, he's attracted to water and guns. Unlike other kids, however, Kyle has no street safety sense, fears nothing and has a habit of walking off. The family lives near a quarry, a gun range and a prison. To complicate matters, his mother has a hearing disorder.

The suggested method to deal with his meltdowns is to bring him to a calm place and leave him alone for five minutes. Since his mother can't hear him, he has, on occasion, escaped and meandered away. Kyle isn't verbal and won't respond to the call of his name.

As you can imagine, this alone would cause a parent constant worry, but Kyle also experiences seizures. For years, Richardson tried traditional approaches to autism and became more hopeful when she learned about Manitoba Search and Rescue's program.

George Leonard is a certified master trainer with MSAR and he immediately recognized the Richardsons' need, although it is not so easy as handing over "a dog in a box." Each pooch has to be custom trained for the person who requires its assistance.

"We do a comprehensive plan which includes the family doctors and our training team," he says. "The dogs live with both the family and the trainers."

Since the family is involved in the training there is a greater success rate. "We have not had one fail yet," he says.

When Bella was tested by Leonard, he knew she would make a perfect therapy dog. She's calm. Her role is to help Kyle with transitions, street safety, sense his stress level (and take him to a quiet place when needed) and to detect seizures. Just recently, Bella detected the onset of one of his seizures two minutes before it occurred.

According to Richardson, Bella has done "more in a few months than any therapy in years."

Kyle is now calmer and is verbal. It's his job to tell Bella to sit and stay. Best of all, says Richardson, is that he has a friend. "Dogs love you no matter what; they don't judge," she says. This is especially important to children with autism. Kyle would typically play beside other kids. Bella offers him a buddy he can hug and love.

Some therapy dogs are less suited to search and rescue. Because Kyle wanders, Leonard recommended another dog. Delilah's job is to notify Richardson if Kyle tries to roam. Kyle is equipped with a GPS, but Delilah is also trained to find him should he get lost. She also helps when his episodes becomes loud.

Delilah, a former Winnipeg Humane Society dog, is perfect for this task. She's active. Richardson refers to her having "crazy pants." Given her personality and training, Delilah is less bothered by Kyle's louder meltdowns.

Together, Bella and Delilah tag-team to assist Kyle.

Part of Bella's job is to help him with transitions, one of which is to go to and from school. Richardson is having difficulty with her local school board. As part of Kyle's therapy, she wants to allow Bella to take Kyle directly to his class and greet him at the end of the day. Currently Kyle is picked up and dropped off to meet them at the front door.

Richardson is over the moon with the way Leonard approaches training. She giggled when she explained that while Leonard trained Bella she followed him everywhere, even into the shower. Because each child is unique, Leonard continually assesses what the family needs. Even exposure to planes, horses and hamsters has recently been put on the list of exposures for which Bella is trained.

"MSAR is donating the training services of the dogs (valued at $40,000-$60,000 for over 17,540 hours of training) and we are also hoping to raise about 5K for the service jackets and GPS systems," says Leonard.

To those who receive the assistance, the help is priceless.

Autism is a misunderstood disorder. Parents often face an uphill battle in advocating for their children. My niece, a professional in the field, divulged that experts suspect Albert Einstein may have been autistic. If you know his story, you recall that he didn't speak until he was four. His mother was his staunch advocate and I think we can all thank her for her faith in her child.

Before Richardson was a parent of an autistic child, she had no idea what it was. For years, she has fought to help her son. And now she has two furry allies on her side.

Those wishing to donate to MSAR or who have questions about their programs can contact George Leonard at glomsar.ca or call 204-777-0553. Dusti Richardson is happy to chat with those who are interested in the MSAR program and autism through her facebook page: Kyle and his autism service dogs.

char.adam@mts.net twitter.com/charspetpage

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 29, 2011 D5

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