カナダ発！
"たんぽっぽ"
自閉症療育支援の～と
Autism Resources
マニトバ州・カナダ － マニトバ州で2匹のサービスドッグと暮らす6歳のカイル君。1年ほど前は自閉症のカイル君は人と話すことも友達と遊ぶこともせず、一人のきりでいた。しかし犬のデリラが来て大きく変わったという。デリラが家に来て数日後、カイル君はしゃべりだしたというのだ。「デリラがいないと隠れてしまう。自分に自信がなく壁を作ってしまう」とカイル君の母親は語る。カイル君とデリラは親友になった。
2010年、友人の息子で同じく自閉症を持つ子供が自宅からいなくなり湖でおぼれる事故があったそうだ。その一ヵ月後、カイル君も家からいなくなり、後から家の外で見つかったことがあったという。このことがきっかけとなりデリラをカイル君の遊び友達としてだけでなく、カイル君の安全を見守る役目をするサービスドッグにしようと思うようになったという。これからデリラはカイル君が一人でいなくなってしまったときに、追跡し見つけ出す訓練を受ける。また犬の訓練士ジョージさんは"ベラ"という名前の犬を調教中で、ベラはカイル君が一人で外に出て行かないように家の中で一緒に遊び、外に一人で出ないように助ける役目をするという。
Six-year-old Kyle Richardson is believed to be the first person in the province to have two service dogs - one trained to help him develop, the other trained to save his life.
One year ago, Richardson didn't speak or play. The six-year-old boy mostly kept to himself. But that all changed with the dog, Delilah.
"Without the dog…he hides, he has no self confidence, his anxiety levels are off the wall," said Dusti Richardson, Kyle's mother.
Within days of bringing Delilah home, her son began speaking. The dog has been the boy's best friend, but soon she'll take on a different role.
Last year, one month after a friend's son with autism wandered off and drowned in a pond, Kyle also disappeared. He was later found. That's when Dusti says she decided she wanted Delilah to not only be Kyle's companion, but also his protector.
Delilah will be taught to track and find Kyle when he wanders off alone.
His Stony Mountain home is just minutes from a shooting range, down the street from a jail and surrounded by quarries.
Dog trainer, George Leonard is also training another dog, Bella, to be Kyle's companion to give him a reason to stay home.
"So we want to have a complete program to basically assist him, just to improve quality of his life - that's the plan," said Leonard.
Kyle's mom said that plan is already working like a charm.
- with a report from CTV's Caroline Barghout
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