HILLSBORO - Every day, Scooter Givens tries to hit his third-grade classmates and instructors at Patterson Elementary where he attends class for children with severe autism.
Sounds that surprise him, especially crying children, can send the 9-year-old Hillsboro boy into yelling, flailing "meltdowns," which have lasted more than an hour.
Eric and Wendy Givens know Madison, a trained autism service dog, can calm their son; they've seen the German shepherd do so at malls, in parking lots, at restaurants. But the Hillsboro School District won't allow the dog in school, saying Scooter is doing well without the shepherd. continua
Sounds that surprise him, especially crying children, can send the 9-year-old Hillsboro boy into yelling, flailing "meltdowns," which have lasted more than an hour.
Eric and Wendy Givens know Madison, a trained autism service dog, can calm their son; they've seen the German shepherd do so at malls, in parking lots, at restaurants. But the Hillsboro School District won't allow the dog in school, saying Scooter is doing well without the shepherd. continua