Judy Vorfeld’s Office Support Services

Written by Beverly Wallrauch. Chris Wallrauch is an incredible eight-year-old boy with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism. Although he is very bright and loves to be silly, very few know it because he has such a hard time interacting with people. He has managed to capture the hearts of the few people who know him well, such as his teachers, occupational therapists and the staff at his school. He is curious, full of ideas and kind to a fault. He has a strong sense of right and wrong and truly cares about others. He also has a deep understanding of the beautiful and the important things in life. It’s so deep that it’s hard to explain. He has an amazing scope of knowledge!

But this isn’t the Chris that most people see. Most people see a boy who won’t make eye contact or respond to a hello or goodbye. If he does talk it may be lines from a movie, or a random phrase completely out of context. Of course the other kids don’t know how to respond and may laugh at him and adults may comment or feel rebuffed. If children do say “Hi” or ask him to play, he usually won’t answer or will mumble “No” out of fear. If there are more than two or three people nearby he will run and hide, refusing to come out.

If we are in a crowded or noisy place he may “head butt” me, pinch me, rock or make inappropriate noises. He may lash out and hit if he is extremely stressed. He sometimes hurts himself and frequently calls himself stupid. When he is in sensory overload he is oblivious to the dangers of crossing streets and runs out in front of cars. There have been several very close calls. He has run ahead in crowds and nearly gotten lost several times. He also has extreme auditory sensitivity.

The usual transitions in life are hard for our son: anything out of the routine, even taking a different way home, can set him off. At about four he began to have some serious anxiety issues and it became very hard to leave our home for any kind of family outing. Anyplace different, even just a restaurant would send him into a panic. Pretty much everything that other kids seem to love is a source of fear and anxiety for Chris. Birthday parties are nightmares. School functions are out of the question, and even going to church has become draining. Sometimes at home he doesn’t even want me to go upstairs or downstairs without him. He gets anxious at bedtime if I can’t sit with him until he falls asleep. Sometimes he sleepwalks and frequently gets up in the middle of the night, needing one of us to stay with him while he falls asleep.

School has been hard for him as well. Academically he does well if on medication and with an aide, but social gatherings or changes in routine are still very difficult. He did have to leave one school when the staff became worried that he would hurt himself since crashing into the concrete walls was Chris’ way of coping with sensory overload. The staff at our rural public school have embraced him and his disability, helping him in any way they are able to, but socially Chris is still struggling, and as his peers interact with each other their social skills are building while his remain behind.

The gap is getting wider each day that he cannot participate with them and the differences are obvious. He rarely goes out for recess.

Then by accident (or divine intervention, I like to think) the idea of a service dog “found us.” After Chris got up the nerve to attend and completed a short Saturday pet care class I thought it might help if he could volunteer somewhere to work with animals. Even though it was hard for him to participate, this class was one of the few social activities he could muster the courage to attend and we wanted to keep the momentum going. Then I saw an advertisement for help needed at a local service dog training facility. Before we went there, I sent an email telling them about Chris and what to expect when we got there. I didn’t want them to immediately assume he was “bad” if he got over stimulated and out of control. I desperately wanted this to be a good experience for him. It was - and then some!

As a result of a mix up (they thought I was there to see about getting a dog) I was introduced to a volunteer who had a son with autism that was greatly helped by his service dog. She told me about all the ways that these dogs could help kids like Chris. I had no idea! While we talked Chris was introduced to a service dog in training, a ’smiling’ dog named Tuck. Chris immediately felt more confident and came out of himself just enough to give the dog a few commands. Tuck’s eagerness to please and quick response seemed to empower Chris.

Tuck was one of those dogs that simply oozed “joy”! After playing with the dog for awhile my son looked up at me smiling and whispered “I LOVE this place!” I thought I would cry right then and there. For those fleeting minutes Chris looked just like any other boy playing with a dog, caught up in the moment, oblivious to the noise and the people. No hiding, no head butting. The fact that he was able to express his current emotion was also no small thing. After we left an hour later my son wanted to know when we could go back! It was nothing short of amazing. I knew then that this was exactly what Chris needed and I couldn’t wait to tell my husband about it!

Although we were unhappy to hear that this organization didn’t provide autism service dogs, or service dogs to children under 10, it did start us on our journey. It wasn’t long before I found 4 Paws for Ability and did some research. I asked Chris’ doctor, psychiatrist, OT and teachers if they thought it would help and if they would provide references. It was a unanimous “Yes”!

We are now working with 4 Paws, a nonprofit, 501c3 organization whose mission is to place quality service dogs. To date they have placed over 400 service dogs with the majority being for autism assistance. We particularly liked the fact that many of these dogs come from shelters and rescue groups. As explained by 4 Paws, these dogs “create a consistency in the child’s life as their dogs go everywhere that they go, even within places of public accommodation, and the educational system bringing along with them: consistency, stability, and calm reassurance that the feelings of anxiety or fear are not needed because the trusted buddy is by their side.”

I know that once Chris gets his special dog that his horizons will broaden.

• He will talk to children that he may not have had to courage to interact with because he will have the security of his buddy as well as the perfect conversation starter!
• He will have a friend that can hold him back before he darts into traffic without the embarrassment of Mom hanging on to him.
• He will feel more comfortable in places that may have seemed too much because his dog will watch for increasing anxiety and respond with comforting pressure or nuzzles.
• He even will have to interact more at home when working with his dog.
• At family get-togethers he will have a furry friend to hang with while Mom and Dad talk to others, and this friend can help him interact.
• He will have a strong buddy to stay with him and help him feel safe at night.

We know that Chris has the ability to do a lot of good things when he grows up but it won’t happen if he isn’t able to get out and gain the basic social skills he needs. We also worry about high risk of depression and suicide in teenagers with Asperger’s since they often become isolated or frequent victims of bullying. These are all things that having a service dog can help him with.

The best thing is that this dog will not only help Chris but many others in his world. It will help us be able to go out and do things as a family again. It will even bring joy to other children when they get a chance to know a really awesome kid, Asperger’s and all. Maybe they will get to see the side of him that we see; the real Chris. And who knows, maybe more people will come to understand autism and Asperger’s a little better too.
All because of one special dog.

For more info about Chris and Asperger’s Syndrome please visit: http://www.AserviceDog4Chris.org or http://www.4pawsforability.org.

If you would like to help Chris get his “helping paw,” please donate to 4 Paws for Ability in his name: Chris Wallrauch. It will be appreciated more than words can say! Beverly, Ken and Chris Wallrauch

Note: I highly endorse 4 Paws for Ability as a source for extremely well-trained service dogs. The organization is sound and its goals exceptional. Judy Vorfeld.

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 13th, 2009 at 3:21 pm and is filed under Animals, Disabilities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.