my little boy has autism, a disability that affects the way a
child communicates and responds to the world around him. no one
really knows what causes autism and no one has a cure for it.
most autistic adults have to be cared for by others the rest of
their lives. so now comes the race with time to be one of the
lucky few that is able to pull her child back to "real" world,
and lead to him a productive and independent life as an adult.
my son receives therapy (occupational, speech, physical, music,
and even horseback) in an intensive regime five days a week.
most of the cost are covered by the state i live in, but being
in my mid twenties i do not have any savings and it is only
because of family and friends that i have the money for gas to
get him to all these places each week. there is recent research
indicating the use of service dogs for children with autism is
having fantastic results, and recently my son was evaluated by
my local service dog agency (Susquehanna Service Dogs), it was
found that he would be helped in many ways by a service dog
companion. however, while most of the cost is covered by
grants, the remaining 5000 is expected from the family. my son
was so excited when he saw the therapy dog at the evaluation ,
he smiled, made eye contact with the dog, and got down on the
floor face to face with him. for the first time in a long time
he was free from his usual state of anxiety. i am now searching
every available option to help in the raising of the funds to
enable him have this opportunity to enrich the quality of his
life, and maybe lead to an independent adulthood for him. any
information, ideas or help, would be appreciated .
