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Updated October 20, 2008 |
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Nicky’s Page
Bello and Nicky are an
official Team!
October 20, 2008
– Bello, Mom and I went through Graduation in Bellingham on October 19, 2008
and are now an official TEAM. This
means Bello is permitted to accompany me to all areas of a business or facility
where the public is normally allowed to go, and we can not be segregated from
everyone else, even if there is a “no pet” policy. Bello is not my pet, he is my assistant to keep me safe. We have to go back in 6 months to make sure
we know all our training, but I am so happy that the really hard part is
over. We still have some travel
expenses to keep up with, and I need a new harness to teather me to my buddy
Bello, but all the big stuff is done with.
Brigadoon, who had done so much for us, is always in need of donations,
voulenteers and general help. If you
would like to do something to help someone else, get good karma points, and
generally feel good about yourself, check out their wish list in their newsletters. It is also tax deductible.
We will be giving regular monetary gifts to Brigadoon for many years to
come.
(Written in July, 2006)
Hi, I am Nicky. This is my web page where I will share with you my biggest wish right now. As you can guess, I am the light of my family’s life and there is nothing they would not do for me. When I was diagnosed as being Autistic at the age of two we were determined to do whatever we had to do to make my life as “normal” as possible. Since I was also born with a congenital heart defect things can be harder for me.
If you didn’t know, Autism is considered a “Neurobiological disorder.” In an article written in 2004 in “Brain” “…the new data provide a link from brain activity as a disruption of complex information processing. This model attributed the disorder to a fundamental abnormality in the handling of information in high level tasks, particularly those requiring abstraction. Abstraction refers to generating a representation at a level higher than a previous one, and that abstraction presumably required the increased involvement of additional brain areas… It has also been proposed that autism is a non-focal, systemic disorder of the brain that affected a wide range of high level tasks, including motor function, memory, language and abstraction, which all made a high demand on information processing resources.” Basically, my brain is wired differently. The pathways that various parts of my brain use to communicate are underdeveloped, or are like country roads instead of the super highways most people have. It affects my ability to communicate, to reason, and to interact with others. It is a spectrum disorder that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees of severity, and it is often found in combination with other disabilities.
Over the past two years, through intensive therapies and interventions, I have learned to talk, read and am becoming quite an individual. However, as I have grown, there have been other behaviors emerging. The most frightening of these behaviors for my family is the running away and temper tantrums. As with many kids like me with Autism, I can be oversensitive to sound, have lack of fear and difficulty forming peer relationships (I don’t have many friends). Even though I know a lot of words I still have trouble communicating with people and interacting socially. I cannot maintain a conversation or even eye contact with someone and I easily become frustrated and irritable because of this and then I scream REALLY LOUD.
As some of you know my life long friend Buffy, the
Labrador Retriever, lost her fight with cancer in April 2006, at 
the
age of 13. We all miss her very much but my parents think I have not really
made the connection that she is gone forever. We would like to get
another dog and this is where the favor comes in. I need your help.
We are in the process of obtaining
an Autism Service Dog from Brigadoon Youth and Service Dog Programs. This dog could help me to be more
affectionate and more connected to the world.
The service dog’s presence would offer a calming influence and provide a
sense of security for my family and me.
My abstract and concrete thinking could be enhanced, my focus will
improve and the length of my attention span should increase. Any emotional outbursts should occur less
often. An Autism Service Dog would give
me more independence and autonomy, helping me become a viable part of the
community at large. This dog will be
trained for:
Social Integration – children
are naturally attracted to dogs. Since I have trouble communicating and
initiating interactions, this is often viewed as anti-social. The dog will attract positive attention to
me and also be trained to include other children in play with me. I will also learn to answer questions others
will ask me about my dog.
Constant Companion and Friend – Since I am an only child, this dog
would be with me always whenever I need him, with no demands or expectations.
Assist
when Emotionally Overwhelmed - There are
many situations in which an emotional over reaction can be a very humiliating
problem (yelling very loudly in public or meltdowns). A service dog can be trained to perform one or more tactile
diversion tasks to distract my attention. These tasks may have a therapeutic
benefit giving me a feeling of solace, but their primary purpose is to empower
me to recover and sustain emotional control in settings where uncontrolled
emotional reactions are unacceptable.
Retrieval
- if I should become lost or
disoriented, the dog will guide me back to an appropriate person of authority,
or place of safety until help should arrive.
This will coincide with the “Alert in case of Emergency”.
Alert in
case of Emergency - if my service dog alerts someone, they would
immediately assume I am “in trouble” and respond accordingly.
Backpacking
Medical Related Information - The dog
must be specifically schooled to calmly permit strangers such as emergency
personnel to search the backpacks in a crisis so they can obtain my Medic Alert
information or other instructions the dog may be carrying in case the need
arises.
Because of
this highly specialized training my dog would be able to accompany me when I am
in public, as it would be a certified Service Dog. He would be a combination of aide, therapist and best friend.
This is the part where you come
in. We have to raise $6,000 for
obtaining the dog, as well as raising, training and supplies. The majority of the money would be in the
form of donations to Brigadoon Youth and Service Dog Programs,
which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.
Groups like them rely entirely on the generosity of individual financial
contributions, corporate contributions, fundraisers and grants. These
contributions enable them to accomplish their mission of offering a helping paw
to those in need. Every assistance dog
that is teamed up with a person with disabilities must go through a minimum of
300 hours of extensive training. The average cost of raising and training one
of these fabulous canines is $20,000 – 25,000.
We have committed to raising $3,000 of this amount for Brigadoon’s
services. We will also incur
approximately $3,000 in “Doggie Dollars” for raising the puppy (including all
vet care, testing for physical soundness, spay/neutering, shots, etc.), travel
and lodging for our training, along with necessary items for the new dog (see
my wish list below). Every little bit
will help us meet our goal. Please ask
your family and friends if they might also want to help a cute little kid like
me do better in the world. This is just
a guess on our part, we will not know how much everything will cost until we
start raising the puppy.
To
help with our fundraising you can donate directly to Brigadoon Youth and Service Dog Programs by clicking here
(please be sure to mention my name – There is no spot on the form yet, so
please send an e-mail). Donations
to Brigadoon, a non-profit charity, are tax-deductible. You can also help by sending us “Doggie Dollars”
by mail, or by using the PayPal button (this is not deductible, can’t be by
credit card, or over $300 – rules of PayPal)
We promise that all money
will go directly for acquiring, training and caring for the dog. If we should happen to have any extra
“Doggie Dollars”, we will give it to Brigadoon Youth and Service Dog Programs to
help with the next dog they train for someone, and give you the tax deduction
for the amount you donated.
As of September 1, 2007 we have acquired
$5,600.00
toward our $6,000 for Brigadoon and “Doggie Dollars”.
NEWS
March 2008 – We can’t believe it has been over a year that Bello has
come into our lives. He has grown so
much (check out the new pictures), and the “boys” have bonded quite
nicely. On the 14th, Bello and
Mom will be in Bellingham to start working on the serious stuff. Please wish us all good luck.
July 2007 – Nicky and Bello won the
grand prize at the birthday party for Naturally
4 Paws – a $250 gift card. We will
be purchasing lots of fun stuff there.
December 21, 2006 – Bello came home.
We have started Bello’s Page,
which will be updated as time permits.
A puppy and an almost 5 year old tend to keep you busy.
December
17, 2006 –
Check out the pictures of
Bello and his brother Hopps. We
will pick up Bello on Thursday, December 21st. Just in time for Christmas!!!!!!!
December
10, 2006 – WE HAVE A
PUPPY – well
almost. Brigadoon has a male Golden
Retriever waiting for us to pick up for fostering. We have named him Bello (Italian for handsome), and should be
able to get him right around Christmas.
We will add pictures as soon as possible. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers that this will be our
Service Dog. There is a lot of training
and temperament testing to go through in the next two years.
November
27, 2006 –
We have SNOW. I know that is not such a
big thing for most, but at our house we had about 3 inches, and at Brigadoon,
they had 8 inches. And there is more on
the way. This is very unusual for
us. Actually, November has been a month
of record-breaking weather, with all our rain and stuff.
November
25, 2006 –
We have taken some of the money that was given to us for Doggie Dollars and
have designated it to Brigadoon since it was so one sided. Please remember, Brigadoon is always in need
of assistance, and we don’t know our actual cost of raising the puppy yet.
November
16, 2006 –
Brigadoon (located in Bellingham, WA) was hit with some severe weather
yesterday, and suffered some damage to the property. All the dogs and people are fine, just a little cold and tired of
not having any electricity. The dogs
miss their music and are not crazy about going potty by flashlight either.
October 25, 2006 – Our friend at Brigadoon has found out that there is a litter of puppies (born mid October) that are being watched to see if one of them might become mine. We should know more by Christmas.
Some of our wonderful
contributors have been:
Uncle Tom – Thank you for
starting off my “Doggy Dollars” fund, and the extra Christmas gift
Thank you Dad – for
giving your last bonus for our new family member.
We had a great Yard Sale on August 27, 2006, when Jessica
and Tucker spent all day playing with me while Mom, Dad and Jules worked in the
heat. Thanks so much gang. And a big Thank you to Kinko’s, Target and Long’s
Drug Store for helping us with supplies for the sale.
Thanks Grandma Jan – Please come back and visit soon.
Great Uncle Nick, Aunt Anna and “B” – you are the best. Thank you so much.
Nonni – what would I do without you.
I have also managed to earn money by selling my old clothes,
toys, and baby stuff through consignment at the Clothes Line.
Sandra – Thank you
for your interest in ASD and helping to jumpstart Oracle Easymatch.
Cousin Dominic and
all the Berwyn Police that pitched in – thumbs up on protecting and
serving. You are a great bunch
of guys.
Great Aunt Sally and
all the family, you are sweeter than any piece of pie that I have ever
had. Thank you for all your hard work.
My most favorite
neighbor – Dr. Dan and Family, keep noggin.
Dave, Becky, Tommy and Mandy – thanks for the temporary house. Ryan, thanks for your
input also.
Aunty Joan – Thank you
for everything.
Uncle Reno and Aunt Patti,
Chris and Tony – you guys are totally awesome.
What else can I say.
Uncle Vince and Aunt
Judy – Thank you so much for the Christmas gift.
Cousin Frank and
Monica – You are absolutely great.
Dominic and Joann –
How could someone be so nice. Thanks so
much.
Silverdale Dental – you
do bring a smile to my face.
Judy
Butler will be donating the proceeds from one of her paintings. Please contact Juliet
for more information.
Some really good books to read for more
information:
Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew by Ellen Notbohm
The Golden Bridge – A Guide to Assistance Dogs for Children
Challenged by Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities by Patty Dobbs Gross of Northstar
Practical Partners – A Service Dog Research Guide by Julie Nye
The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz, M.A.
More
Web sites if you would like to see some of the information on Service Dogs or
Autism:
Autism
Society of America
Brigadoon
Youth and Service Dog Programs
National Service
Dogs
University of Guelph Study On Service Dogs for Autism
4 Paws
for Ability
Jim Sinclair's Web Site – a site for lots of
interesting reading by an Autistic adult.
Wish List
for My New Friend
Since we have acquired
everything we need at this time, the list has been deleted. If
you would like me to send a current wish list, just e-mail me.