Taehler is 3 years old (soon to be 4) and has been diagnosed with autism, and also with a severe verbal Apraxia.
Autism is a neurological disorder, that causes delays in social development, along with speech and sensory disorders. Children with autism have a very difficult time understanding and processing the world around them. Their brain is unable to sort out the stimulation from lights, sounds, touch, and other sensory input. This makes going into public a very difficult thing for them to handle. To learn more about autism, please go to the page for autism.
Apraxia is also a neurological disorder, which effects the ability for the signals from the brain to reach the muscles in the mouth. Therefore, people with apraxia, are unable to get the mouth to create words. At this point, Taehler is considered non-verbal, she only speaks about 5 actual words. To learn more about Apraxia, please go to the page about Aprazia.
All of these things have led us to the decision to get a service dog for Taehler. This is a big decision, but one that will give Taehler the most hope at a successful and "normal" life.
This Dog will be trained and provided to us by 4 Paws for Ability.
To learn more about the Service Dog, and how it will help Taehler, please go to the service dog page. |
