June 27, 2018, Storm Lake (IA) Pilot: Local educator trains therapy dog for school https://www.stormlakepilottribune.com/story/2533837.html Storm Lake Middle School Vice Principal, Jaymie Bral, is certifying his dog, Dory, to become a therapy dog. Bral knows the positive effect that dogs can have on humans, and he hopes to one day make Dory the school's very own therapy dog…. Bral's dream for Dory is to become the school's therapy dog. "I get to see a lot of kids who are just having a tough time," says Bral. Problems in school or at home can affect children in the classroom. "We need to work hard to get them back in the classroom." Having a therapy dog for himself and the counselors to work with would be beneficial in helping the students. Many schools, including colleges, use therapy dogs to help students alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression among other things. "The calming effect they can have on people is powerful," states Bral. Schools across the country have placed therapy dogs into schools and classrooms. Colleges bring therapy dogs to their school before finals, place them in advising or counseling sessions or even in their library….
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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.
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
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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