Shane's Service Hero
Donation protected
Help a little boy reach his goal for his own Service Hero...
Shane is an 8-year-old boy who, like many other children his age, loves Jack Skellington from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’, super heroes, and playing with Legos. Unlike other children Shane is high functioning autistic.
Shane was diagnosed developmentally delayed at age 2, started speech therapy at 3, and was nonverbal until the age of 4. Through his continued speech therapy Shane, nicknamed “Monkey”, communicates at a 4 year old level verbally, and by using his soft stuffed monkey or his super hero action figures. Although Shane is verbally delayed he is high functioning; enjoying math and building but also noticing the differences between himself and others, in particular, his twin sister.
People take many things for granted, things they don’t even think about. For Shane daily tasks can be downright daunting to the point they seem impossible. Dressing himself can be a burden as certain fabrics, buttons, and elastic can be problematic. Texture and smell is so overwhelming he physically gets sick when trying to eat or even brush his teeth. This can be particularly traumatic to Shane as he can only comfortably eat four things and feels left out when eating in group social setting. This is not the only difference Shane has noticed from his sister and his peers. He says “I don’t have any friends”, “people don’t like me”, “I can’t play soccer with the other boys”. Being excluded is tough for anyone. For someone who is unable to comprehend or compartmentalize these feelings it affects everyday life, self-esteem, and feeling of personal value.
When overwhelmed or upset Shane is not prone to screaming or making a scene, he quietly cries or runs away. His cues could easily be missed or misconstrued. Shane needs assistance to help him regulate his emotions, conduct routine self-care, have new experiences, and keep himself safe. His limited interests and time restrict his quality of engagement with the world.
His father, mother, and sister do all they can to help him. As he gets bigger and his peers’ social structure gets more complex his parents can’t just pick him up, remove him from the situation, and make it all better anymore. His twin sister has been instrumental in helping him navigate stimulating environments and interact with their peers when his parents cannot be present, but this affects his sister’s personal and social relationships as well.
As Shane approaches new challenges a trained service dog could really help him reach his full potential. A service dog would be trained in all things Shane. It would help prevent him from wandering, track him down if he does wander, redirect harmful behaviors, provide calming pressure to his nervous system, and to be an emotional support for him. His dog could also help motivate and facilitate social connections and new experiences. As we all know our canine friends are excellent icebreakers.
Training a service dog roughly costs $40,000 to $45,000, countless hours with trainers, and tons of love and kindness from puppy raisers. Once they are fully trained and able to be placed in their forever home these animals help with daily routines; mentally; physically; emotionally. This is where the generosity from others comes in. We humbly thank you for taking the time to read this and hope you’ll consider helping Shane and his family reach their goal of $15,000 to provide Shane with this incredible opportunity.
Shane is an 8-year-old boy who, like many other children his age, loves Jack Skellington from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’, super heroes, and playing with Legos. Unlike other children Shane is high functioning autistic.
Shane was diagnosed developmentally delayed at age 2, started speech therapy at 3, and was nonverbal until the age of 4. Through his continued speech therapy Shane, nicknamed “Monkey”, communicates at a 4 year old level verbally, and by using his soft stuffed monkey or his super hero action figures. Although Shane is verbally delayed he is high functioning; enjoying math and building but also noticing the differences between himself and others, in particular, his twin sister.
People take many things for granted, things they don’t even think about. For Shane daily tasks can be downright daunting to the point they seem impossible. Dressing himself can be a burden as certain fabrics, buttons, and elastic can be problematic. Texture and smell is so overwhelming he physically gets sick when trying to eat or even brush his teeth. This can be particularly traumatic to Shane as he can only comfortably eat four things and feels left out when eating in group social setting. This is not the only difference Shane has noticed from his sister and his peers. He says “I don’t have any friends”, “people don’t like me”, “I can’t play soccer with the other boys”. Being excluded is tough for anyone. For someone who is unable to comprehend or compartmentalize these feelings it affects everyday life, self-esteem, and feeling of personal value.
When overwhelmed or upset Shane is not prone to screaming or making a scene, he quietly cries or runs away. His cues could easily be missed or misconstrued. Shane needs assistance to help him regulate his emotions, conduct routine self-care, have new experiences, and keep himself safe. His limited interests and time restrict his quality of engagement with the world.
His father, mother, and sister do all they can to help him. As he gets bigger and his peers’ social structure gets more complex his parents can’t just pick him up, remove him from the situation, and make it all better anymore. His twin sister has been instrumental in helping him navigate stimulating environments and interact with their peers when his parents cannot be present, but this affects his sister’s personal and social relationships as well.
As Shane approaches new challenges a trained service dog could really help him reach his full potential. A service dog would be trained in all things Shane. It would help prevent him from wandering, track him down if he does wander, redirect harmful behaviors, provide calming pressure to his nervous system, and to be an emotional support for him. His dog could also help motivate and facilitate social connections and new experiences. As we all know our canine friends are excellent icebreakers.
Training a service dog roughly costs $40,000 to $45,000, countless hours with trainers, and tons of love and kindness from puppy raisers. Once they are fully trained and able to be placed in their forever home these animals help with daily routines; mentally; physically; emotionally. This is where the generosity from others comes in. We humbly thank you for taking the time to read this and hope you’ll consider helping Shane and his family reach their goal of $15,000 to provide Shane with this incredible opportunity.
Organizer
Bethany Summers
Organizer
Dalzell, SC