Video: Therapy dogs work wonders with autistic kids

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BOTHELL, Wash. - Megan Bean looks forward to Wednesday mornings all week long.  That’s when she gets to walk big, fuzzy Amos around the halls of Bothell’s Woodmoor Elementary.

Amos is a trained therapy dog, who up until recently has focused his special “talents” on helping kids learn to read.

But volunteers with Reading with Rover, a popular program in Washington that pairs dogs with kids in the classroom, thought: What if we used these dogs to help special needs kids? Could we make a difference?

The answer, so far, has been a resounding yes.

At the start of the school year, Megan, who is on the autism spectrum, spoke very little.  Today, thanks in part to Amos, she’s talking a lot more.

As she rounds the halls of Woodmoor, she talks to everyone she stops and talks to everyone she meets along the way.

“This is Amos. Amos says 'Ruff Ruff!' And I’m a big girl, Megan," she says.

In Mrs. McNerney’s classroom, about half the kids have autism, but all are getting the help of weekly visits by Amos, and his shorter, plumper Lab counterpart, Annie.

Teachers say the dogs have a calming influence, making learning easier. They’re also a huge motivator.  The kids know if they don’t follow directions in class, they won’t be able to visit with Amos and Annie.

Volunteers with Reading with Rover say they’ve gotten hugs and tears from parents who say their children with autism didn’t speak at all until the therapy dogs started working with them.

There aren’t many scientific studies to back up assertions that therapy dogs can have a huge impact on special needs kids, but at Woodmoor, no one seems bothered.

As Megan talks to friends in the hallway, they hear all the proof they need.