Nā ʻīlio lawelawe no nā keiki me ka maʻi maʻi: He nīnauele me ka makuahine

Hiki i nā ʻīlio lawelawe no nā keiki me ka autism ke hoʻololi i ke ola o nā keiki a lākou e kōkua ai, a me ke ola o ko lākou ʻohana holoʻokoʻa. Hoʻomaʻamaʻa ʻia lākou e hōʻoluʻolu i kā lākou hoʻopiʻi, mālama pono iā lākou, a kōkua pū i ke kamaʻilio ʻana me ka poʻe a puni lākou. Ua kamaʻilio mākou me Brandy, he makuahine i aʻo e pili ana i nā ʻīlio lawelawe no nā keiki autistic a ua hoʻoholo mākou e kiʻi i kekahi e kōkua i kāna keiki ʻo Xander.

He aha kāu ʻīlio i aʻo ai ma mua o kou hele ʻana i kou hale?

Ua aʻo ʻia kā mākou ʻīlio ʻo Lucy e ka National Guide Dog Training Service (NEADS) Prison Pups program. Hoʻomaʻamaʻa ʻia kā lākou mau ʻīlio i loko o nā hale paʻahao ma ka ʻāina e nā paʻahao i hana hewa ʻole. Ma nā hopena pule, ua kāhea nā mea manawaleʻa i nā kahu hānai ʻīlio e ʻohi i nā ʻīlio a kōkua i ke aʻo ʻana iā lākou i nā mākau pilikanaka. Hoʻokahi makahiki ka hoʻomākaukau ʻana o kā mākou ʻīlio ʻo Lucy ma mua o kona hiki ʻana i ko mākou hale. Hoʻomaʻamaʻa ʻia ʻo ia ma ke ʻano he ʻīlio hana maʻamau, no laila hiki iā ia ke wehe i nā puka, e hoʻā i nā kukui a kiʻi i nā mea, me ka nānā pū ʻana i nā pono pilikanaka a me nā manaʻo o kaʻu keiki hiapo ʻo Xander.

Pehea ʻoe i loaʻa ai kāu ʻīlio lawelawe?

Ua noi mākou ma Ianuali 2013 ma hope o ka nānā ʻana i ka ʻike a me ka ʻike ʻana ua kūpono kēia papahana iā mākou. Pono ʻo NEADS i kahi noi kikoʻī loa me nā moʻolelo olakino a me nā ʻōlelo aʻoaʻo mai nā kauka, kumu, a me nā ʻohana. Ma hope o ka ʻae ʻana o NEADS iā mākou no kahi ʻīlio, pono mākou e kali a loaʻa kahi mea kūpono. Ua koho lākou i ka ʻīlio kūpono no Xander ma muli o kāna mau makemake (makemake ʻo ia i ʻīlio melemele) a me kāna ʻano. He ʻoliʻoli ʻo Xander, no laila pono mākou i kahi ʻano mālie.

Ua aʻo ʻia ʻoe me kāu keiki ma mua o ka lawe ʻana i kahi ʻīlio i ka home?

Ma hope o ko mākou hui pū ʻana me Lucy, ua hoʻonohonoho ʻia au e komo i kahi hālāwai hoʻomaʻamaʻa ʻelua pule ma ka pā kula NEADS ma Sterling, Massachusetts. Ua piha ka pule mua i nā haʻawina lumi papa a me nā haʻawina mālama ʻīlio. Pono wau e lawe i kahi papa kōkua mua ʻīlio a aʻo i nā kauoha āpau a Lucy i ʻike ai. Ua hoʻomaʻamaʻa au i ke komo ʻana i loko a i waho o nā hale, hoʻokomo iā ia i loko a i waho o ke kaʻa, a pono hoʻi au e aʻo i ka mālama ʻana i ka ʻīlio i nā manawa āpau.

ʻO Xander me aʻu i ka pule ʻelua. Pono wau e aʻo i ka mālama ʻana i ka ʻīlio me kaʻu keiki. He hui hana mākou. Hoʻopaʻa wau i ka ʻīlio ma ke kaula ma kekahi ʻaoʻao a ʻo Xander ma kekahi ʻaoʻao. Ma nā wahi a pau a mākou e hele ai, noʻu ke kuleana o nā mea a pau, no laila, pono wau e aʻo pehea e mālama pono ai iā mākou i nā manawa a pau.

He aha ka hana a ka ʻīlio e kōkua ai i kāu keiki?

ʻO ka mea mua, he mahuka ʻo Xander. ʻO ia hoʻi, hiki iā ia ke lele i waho a holo i waho o mākou i kēlā me kēia manawa. Ua kapa aloha au iā ia ʻo Houdini, no ka mea, hiki iā ia ke haʻalele i koʻu lima a i ʻole holo i ka home i kēlā me kēia manawa. No ka mea ʻaʻole ia he pilikia i kēia manawa, nānā au i hope a ʻakaʻaka, akā ma mua o ka hōʻike ʻana mai o Lucy, he mea weliweli loa ia. I kēia manawa ua paʻa ʻo ia iā Lucy, hiki iā ia ke hele i kahi aʻu e haʻi aku ai iā ia.

ʻO ka lua, hoʻomaha ʻo Lucy iā ia. Ke loaʻa iā ia ka manaʻo nui, hoʻāʻo ʻo ia e hoʻomaha iā ia. I kekahi manawa pili iā ia, a i kekahi manawa aia wale nō.

A ʻo ka hope, kōkua ʻo ia iā Xander e kamaʻilio me ka honua o waho. ʻOiai hiki iā ia ke leo nui a kamaʻilio, pono ke kākoʻo ʻana i kāna ʻike pilikanaka. Ke hele mākou me Lucy, hōʻike ka poʻe i ka hoihoi maoli iā mākou. Ua aʻo ʻo Xander e ʻae i nā nīnau a noi aku e hānai i kāna ʻīlio. Pane pū ʻo ia i nā nīnau a wehewehe i ka poʻe ʻo wai ʻo Lucy a pehea ʻo ia e kōkua ai iā ia.

I kekahi lā ma ke keʻena hoʻomaʻamaʻa pediatric occupational therapy, ua kali ʻo Xander i kona manawa. Ua mālama ʻole ʻo ia i ka poʻe a puni, akā nui ka poʻe ma laila i kēlā lā. Nui nā keiki i noi mau i kāna ʻīlio. A ʻoiai ua pane ʻo ia me ka ʻae, ua kau wale ʻia kona nānā a me kona mau maka i kāna papa. I koʻu hoʻonohonoho ʻana, ua hoʻāʻo ke kanaka ma hope oʻu e hoʻohuli i kāna keiki e nīnau i ke keiki inā hiki iā ia ke hānai i kāna ʻīlio. Akā, ʻōlelo ke keiki liʻiliʻi, “ʻAʻole, ʻaʻole hiki iaʻu. Pehea inā ʻōlelo ʻo ia ʻaʻole? A laila nānā aʻela ʻo Xander a ʻōlelo, "ʻAʻole au e ʻōlelo ʻole." Kū aʻela ʻo ia, lālau i ka lima o ke keiki a alakaʻi iā ia iā Lucy. Ua hōʻike ʻo ia iā ia pehea e hānai ai iā ia a wehewehe ʻo ia he Labrador fawn a ʻo ia kāna ʻīlio hana kūikawā. Ua waimaka au. He mea kupaianaha a hiki ʻole ma mua o ke ʻano o Lucy.

Manaʻo wau i loko o hoʻokahi makahiki a ʻelua paha e hiki iā Xander ke mālama iā Lucy iā ia iho. A laila hiki iā ia ke hōʻike piha i kona mau akamai. Ua aʻo ʻia ʻo ia e mālama iā ia i ka palekana, kōkua iā ia i kāna mau hana i kēlā me kēia lā, a noho pū me kona hoa ʻoiai ke paʻakikī ʻo ia i ka launa ʻana ma waho. E lilo ʻo ia i hoaaloha maikaʻi loa nona.

He aha kou manaʻo e ʻike ai nā kānaka e pili ana i nā ʻīlio lawelawe no nā keiki me ka autism?

ʻO ka mea mua, makemake au e ʻike ka poʻe ʻaʻole kēlā me kēia ʻīlio lawelawe he ʻīlio alakaʻi no ka poʻe makapō. Pēlā nō, ʻaʻole he kīnā ko kēlā me kēia kanaka i loaʻa ka ʻīlio lawelawe, a he mea pono ʻole ke nīnau i ke kumu he ʻīlio lawelawe. Ua like ia me ka nīnau ʻana i kekahi i ka lāʻau lapaʻau a lākou e loaʻa ai. ʻAe pinepine mākou iā Xander e ʻōlelo ʻo Lucy kāna ʻīlio lawelawe autistic no ka mea kōkua ia i kāna mau kamaʻilio kamaʻilio. Akā, ʻaʻole ia he manaʻo pono mākou e haʻi aku i nā poʻe no ia mea.

A ʻo ka mea hope loa, makemake au e hoʻomaopopo ka poʻe ʻoiai ʻo Xander ka mea e ʻae pinepine ai i ka poʻe e hānai iā Lucy, aia nō kāna koho. Hiki iā ia ke ʻōlelo ʻaʻole, a naʻu e kōkua iā ia ma ke kau ʻana i kahi ʻāpana o ka ʻaʻahu o Lucy e noi ana iā ia e hoʻopā ʻole i ka ʻīlio. ʻAʻole mākou e hoʻohana pinepine iā ia, maʻamau i nā lā ʻaʻole ʻo Xander i ka manaʻo e launa pū a makemake mākou e mahalo i nā palena pilikanaka āna e hoʻāʻo nei e hoʻomohala a ʻimi.

He aha ka hopena maikaʻi o nā ʻīlio lawelawe i ke ola o nā keiki me ka autism?

He nīnau kupanaha kēia. Manaʻo wau ua kōkua maoli ʻo Lucy iā mākou. Hiki iaʻu ke ʻike me koʻu mau maka ponoʻī ua lilo ʻo Xander i ʻoi aku ka hele ʻana a hiki iaʻu ke maopopo i kona palekana ke noho ʻo Lucy ma kona ʻaoʻao.

Akā i ka manawa like, ʻaʻole kūpono nā ʻīlio therapy no nā keiki me ka autism no kēlā me kēia ʻohana i loaʻa kahi keiki me kahi maʻi autism spectrum. ʻO ka mea mua, ua like ia me ka loaʻa ʻana o kahi keiki ʻē aʻe. ʻAʻole wale no kou pono e mālama i nā pono o ka ʻīlio, akā no ka mea i kēia manawa e hele pū kēia ʻīlio iā ʻoe a me kāu keiki ma nā wahi āpau. Eia kekahi, nui ke kālā e loaʻa ai ia holoholona. I ka wā mua, ʻaʻole mākou i noʻonoʻo i ke kumukūʻai o kēia hana. I kēlā manawa, he $9 ka waiwai o kahi ʻīlio lawelawe ma NEADS. Laki loa mākou i ka loaʻa ʻana o nā kōkua he nui mai ko mākou kaiāulu a me nā hui kūloko, akā pono e noʻonoʻo ʻia ke ʻano kālā o ka loaʻa ʻana o kahi ʻīlio no kahi keiki me ka autism.

ʻO ka hope, ma ke ʻano he makuahine o nā keiki maikaʻi ʻelua a ʻo ka ʻīlio nani loa, makemake wau i nā mākua e hoʻomākaukau i ka manaʻo. He pilikia loa ka hana. Pono ʻoe e hāʻawi i ka ʻike e pili ana i kou ʻohana, ke olakino o kāu keiki a me kou kūlana ola, āu i haʻi ʻole ai i kekahi ma mua. Pono ʻoe e nānā a lepili i kēlā me kēia pilikia i loaʻa i kāu keiki i mea e koho ʻia ai no kahi ʻīlio lawelawe. Ua puʻuhū wau i koʻu ʻike ʻana i kēia mau mea ma ka pepa. ʻAʻole au i mākaukau ʻaʻole e heluhelu wale i kēia mau mea a pau, akā e kūkākūkā pū me ia me nā poʻe ʻike ʻole.

A ʻoiai ʻo kēia nā ʻōlelo aʻo a me nā mea aʻu e makemake ai e ʻike ma mua o ka noi ʻana i kahi ʻīlio lawelawe, ʻaʻole wau e hoʻololi i kekahi mea. Ua hoʻopōmaikaʻi ʻo Lucy iaʻu, ʻo kaʻu mau keikikāne a me ko mākou ʻohana holoʻokoʻa. ʻOi aku ka nui o nā pōmaikaʻi ma mua o ka hana hou i ka loaʻa ʻana o ia ʻīlio i loko o ko mākou ola a mahalo maoli mākou no ia.