Ba0bEi

WITH a wag of its tail and a gentle woof, Dune, a cute Labrador sits down near Arturo Gomez, 9, who starts reading to it.



Dune's trainer, Ms Jeanette Golden, supervises the reading session as Arturo shows Dune pictures from the book and occasionally pats the 11-year old specially-trained pooch.

This is a scene that is fast becoming common in schools and libraries across the US as dogs are being used to help children with reading difficulties.

Typically, these children are shy or may not use English as their first language.

When Arturo started reading to Dune and Daisy, another specially-trained Labrador, at the beginning of the school year, he was struggling with some words.

Five months later, this third grade student of Chevy Chase Elementary School, outside Washington state, had shown a marked improvement in his reading levels.


SCORES WENT UP

His teachers attribute this improvement to his attentive canine audience. Teacher Lisa Mahr said: 'His reading score has improved from 167 to 182 and he is more excited about reading.

'The dog makes it easier. It doesn't make fun of him and listens. Arturo really looks forward to it. He picks a book and runs out with a big smile every week when it's reading time.'

The reading sessions usually take place once a week.

And the kids seem to be enjoying it.

'He sits there and he listens to me,' said De'Monte Mansfield, 8, another third grader at Chevy Chase Elementary.

Using dogs for therapy is not new. They have been used to cheer up hospital patients and guide blind people.

This latest trend of using dogs to help children with learning difficulties is attributed to their calming effect on the children.

'We get an average of two or three requests a day from schools or libraries,' said Ms Ursula Kempe, president of Therapy Dogs International, which has certified 16,000 dogs nationwide for reading assistance programmes.

The dogs are owned by private citizens who volunteer their time. Both dog and owner are trained as READ (Reading Education Assistance Dogs) teams before working with the children.

Ms Kathy Klotz, executive director of Intermountain Therapy Animals, a Utah-based company that has nearly 1,300 dogs registered in its programme, said: 'The dog never criticises and never laughs if they make a mistake and he doesn't mind if they stutter or can't do it right.

'And the children are convinced that the dog understands their stories.'
- AFP

Source

刁蛮小公主â„¢
*~Nothing HuRts mOre tHen RealiSinG hE mEaNt EvErYtHinG tO yOu, bUt YoU mEaNt nOtHiNg tO Him~*

-**
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
**-