Feb 19, 2018, Alliance (OH) Review: Paws-itively supportive: Therapy dogs used to calm students http://www.the-review.com/news/20180219/paws-itively-supportive-therapy-dogs-used-to-calm-students Mason joined Lake as an “employee” in November 2016 as a specially trained therapy dog. He spends mornings at Hartville Elementary School with students and his afternoons in the adjoining Lake Elementary School. At night, Mason goes home with Katy Yoder, Hartville Elementary’s school counselor. She and Shirley Oberdier, Lake Elementary’s school counselor, were trained as his handlers. He is school district-owned, Yoder said. “I’m sort of like his foster parent,” she said. His mission is to improve moods, relieve anxiety and alleviate behavioral issues, according to school publications. School officials say they’ve seen a dramatic calm in a child in the midst of a tantrum when the dog suddenly saunters into the room.
Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.