FASD victim Zachary needs a service dog
Written by Lisa Rowe. Zachary is a 13-year-old boy living in Central Ohio. Zachary has had to overcome many obstacles in his young life, he has fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) along with secondary disabilities.
Zachary is the adopted son of Lisa and Jeffrey Rowe. Zachary’s birth mother drank while pregnant.
In persons with FASD, the corpus collosum (processes information between right and left brain) may be damaged and may not function adequately. There may not be as many pathways between the two sides of the brain, and so information may pass slowly or ineffectively.
People with FASD have permanent brain damage, which can lead to learning disabilities, behavior problems, memory deficits, attention deficits, hyperactivity, or mental retardation. This is “static encepha-lopathy,” meaning brain damage that doesn’t get any better and doesn’t get any worse.
There is no way to reverse the damage to the brain.
Because of this disability, Zachary has trouble with daily living skills, abstract thinking, cognitive skills, social skills, impulsivity, frustration levels, safety issues, and making the correct choices.
I have done extensive research into the potential benefits a service dog could provide Zachary. What sealed my decision was watching him not be able to interact socially with his peers due to his disruptive behaviors and inability to read social cues correctly and worse yet not understanding why “no one wanted to be his friend.”
It broke my heart. Zachary wants to be like every other 13-year-old child: he wants to be able to interact socially with his peers, not feel frustrated and upset while trying to do simple tasks that most people do not have to think twice about doing.
It is Zachary’s hope and ours that an FASD service dog will help him accomplish these simple goals and desires.
A Solution for Zachary and what we need help with
4 Paws for Ability, a nonprofit organization located in Xenia, Ohio has the answer. This organization trains Service Dogs for kids with FASD. 4 Paws was the first agency to begin placing skilled FASD service dogs with children and continues to be the largest organization in the United States placing FASD service dogs. The dog will be trained specifically for Zachary based on his disabilities. Besides being a loving and loyal companion to him, the dogs training will include how to respond to Zachary and calm him whenever he has a disruption in his behavior.
Behavior Disruption: When Zachary has emotional outbursts the dog will be trained to interpret this as a signal to lay its nose or foot on him gently nudging him to stop, even if only for a few minutes.
For the dog, it becomes a game and there comes the possibility that Zachary may decide to pet or play ball with the dog, or maybe even cuddle with him. It is our hope that Zachary will one day be able to self regulate his actions and make better choices for himself thus making it possible for him to interact appropriately with others.
Tether: While in public places, my husband and I must always be watching Zachary so he does not slip away. With the help of the Service Dog, Zachary will wear a special harness that is attached to the dog and the dog in turn will be controlled by either my husband or me.
In this way, much of the anxiety of going to public places is removed. and Zachary is given a greater freedom of movement and the feeling of independence.
If you can help, please either go to the 4 Paws for Ability Website’s Donation Page (please make sure to write “in honor of Zachary Rowe” in the special instructions box on PayPal which will appear on the last page of the process), or mail a check to 4 Paws for Ability, 253 Dayton Ave., Xenia, Ohio 45385. Please write “in honor of Zachary Rowe” in the memo line of your check. Your donation will be tax deductible and will be a blessing to Zachary’s family. Thanks!