Feb 22, 2020, Dayton, OH, Butler County Journal-News: Lakota Schools experiment with therapy dogs https://www.journal-news.com/news/local-education/new-therapy-dog-zooey-helping-students-throughout-lakota-schools/XoBuAZLayouYsGDtQHpZhJ/ As the class buzzer rings, among the students flooding the hallways is a first-year “classmate” who’s looking forward to some hugs and scratches behind her ears. That’s part of the class day when you are one of Lakota Schools’ first therapy dogs. “Zooey,” a three-year-old golden retriever and therapy dog, is now spending each class day at Hopewell Junior School in West Chester Twp. It’s an experiment to add the soothing presence of a trained canine to the usually hectic school environment. Zooey is available to any student in the school, and she has already made dozens of friends who pause in the hallways, classrooms or gym to show her some love. Another golden retriever, “Bendi,” works with students at Creekside Early Childhood School and Lakota West Freshman School, which share a campus…. “She greets them in the morning and you’ll just see kids relax … they love to see her,” Webber said. “Students who are experiencing anxiety or who are otherwise struggling during their school day may request time with Zooey.” And one of Zooey’s favorite tricks, she said, is to pick up stray pens or other small objects accidentally dropped by students. Betsy Fuller, spokeswoman for the district, said the dog is part of a pilot program and Circle Tail is covering the expenses. “Zooey is here to help all of our students – our special needs students as well as our general education students,” Fuller said. …
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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.
Loss of Brain Trust features over 9,000 news stories published worldwide since January, 2017
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
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What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless.
John Stone,
UK media editor, Age of Autism
The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It seemed to me that with rising autism prevalence, you’d also see rising autism costs to society, and it turns out, the costs are catastrophic.
They calculated that in 2015 autism cost the United States $268 billion and they projected that if autism continues at its current rate, we’re looking at one trillion dollars a year in autism costs by 2025, so within five years.
Toby Rogers, PhD, Political economist
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