What is autism?
Autism is one of the autism spectrum disorders, a group of conditions that vary in their severity and the age at which a child first may show symptoms. Autism spectrum disorders fall under a broader category known as pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs). PDDs cause delays in many areas of childhood development, such as the development of skills to communicate and interact socially. Autism typically is diagnosed during a child’s second year and is lifelong, although symptoms may lessen over time. There is no cure for autism, but appropriate treatments can help a child develop life skills to function more independently. More

This is why I see a lot of hope. The science and success stories of service and therapy dogs had intrigued me for some time. Over the past year, that interest turned into a passion of finding ways to facilitate the successes in both schools and communities. When Garrett Gann first got his service dog Noah, I attended training with Garrett and his mother Jessica at the Wilderwood Service Dog Center. Wilderwood specializes in training dogs for individuals with disabilities. To qualify for a service dog, a prescription that a service dog was medically necessary for Garrett was required from a Neurologist . Over the course of the past year, Noah had been trained for his service dog job and the last several months specifically trained for Garrett’s needs. Information and videos from Jessica and school were provided to give insight to the center’s director that was used to design Noah’s training. Our training focused on Jessica and me becoming licensed handlers for Noah. More

P.A.D.D. Inc. is a group of parents, friends, and teachers of individuals with developmental disabilities coming together to lend support, help educate themselves, and the community, and advocate for their loved ones. P.A.D.D, Inc meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of every month at 6:30 PM at the St Francois Co. Board for the Developmentally Disabled, 2068 N Washington, Farmington, MO 63640. You can learn more about the support and work of PADD, Inc by logging on to www.paddgroup.com. Be sure to check out the links to other sites. More