Judy Vorfeld’s Office Support Services

Here’s a child with a heap of physical challenges. His family is convinced that an autism service dog will be the perfect companion.

Eleven-year-old Ruben Spice has faced more challenges in his young life than most face in a lifetime. He was born with congenital heart defects that required his hospitalization multiple times since he was two weeks old (including open heart surgery at three months and heart catheters at two years and again at four years).

Ruben was diagnosed with Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), a defect in the ventricular septum - the wall dividing the left and right ventricles of the heart. He was also diagnosed with Patent Ductess Arteriosis (PDA). In a persistent PDA, such as Ruben’s, there is an irregular transmission of blood between the two most important arteries in close proximity to the heart.

He was also diagnosed with delayed growth of the skeletal and muscular systems resulting in a slower growth rate, poor/weak fine and gross motor skills, scoliosis, speech delays (even though he has an extensive vocabulary), and torticollis.

When Ruben was 3 years old, he was taken to another specialist due to severe developmental delays. His family was told he would be nonverbal and so mentally delayed that he would never be able to attend school. They were devastated.

Out of sheer determination by Ruben, along with his family, friends, and caregivers, Ruben was able to prove the doctors wrong. Everyone who knows Ruben also knows that he is very bright and full of life, he just had to find a way to overcome.

By the time Ruben was four, he was speaking and comprehending above his age level. He showed great interest and a high level of understanding in all things mechanical. At the time, we didn’t know it, but Ruben was showing classic signs of Asperger’s Syndrome (AS). AS is known by many as High Functioning Autism. Although he was able to come out of his shell and is thought to be “normal” by those who only see him on a limited basis, Ruben struggles every day with the symptoms of AS.

Children with Autism tend to wander and are unaware of environmental dangers such as traffic, deep water, or the ill intentions of a stranger. When withdrawn within himself, he will not be aware of his environment or respond when called.

Ruben has a very hard time connecting with his peers. His personality may seem dry and rigid, causing some children his age to consider him “weird” and be put off. Stimming and repetitive activities are also symptoms of Autism that tend to draw attention. Stimming is usually characterized by an inability to remain still and include actions such as; swinging the arms, hand flapping, pacing, rocking, facial or muscular ticks (reminiscent of Tourette Syndrome), vocal noises, etc.

Ruben’s stimming is very noticeable and affects the way others view him. Such social awkwardness, along with hypersensitivity to sensory stimulation, make the day-to-day actions most people take for granted an exercise in dedication and constant work for Ruben. Today Ruben is in a mainstream 6th grade classroom. He has accomplished so much over a short period of time, and dispelled the grim prognosis given to him, including a suggestion to institutionalize him. He is completely aware that he is different from his peers, however that does not stop him.

Recently, Ruben’s mother was informed by an online friend about service animals specially trained for children with Autism. Upon further research, it became obvious 4 Paws For Ability was just the answer to their prayers. The dog currently being trained for Ruben is an Autism service dog. He/she will be trained in behavior disruption (to control stimming and help with social awkwardness), tether (they will be tethered together via a special harness), and tracking.

The cost to properly train an amazing dog like this is $13,000. Although most organizations offer “free” service dogs, Ruben would be put on a waiting list years long while they raised the funds to cover the costs of training. 4 Paws For Ability understands the urgency parents have to get assistance to their children. Because of this, they have made it possible for the parents to participate in the fundraising, eliminating the long and often frustrating waiting list for a “free” service animal.

You can help bring magic to Ruben’s life by making your tax-deductible donation to 4 Paws For Ability on Ruben’s name. You can mail checks directly to 4 Paws at:

4 Paws For Ability, 253 Dayton Ave, Xenia, Ohio 45385. Please make sure to note “In Honor of Ruben Spice” in the memo portion of your check.

This will be the first service dog of its kind to be placed in Southeast Alabama. Thank you, Wiregrass, for making this a wonderful community to live, work, and play in.

We will be organizing several fund raisers to help us reach our goal. No one wishing to help will be turned away. There is no job too big or too small. Thank you so much for helping out a child in your community and helping to raise awareness of Autism and how children can overcome.

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 Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 at 5:10 pm and is filed under Animals, Community Service, Disabilities. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.