Autism
About a month ago, Mele and I started making weekly visits to a school for autistic children. There are three children there that are very afraid of dogs, to the point where they are in danger of hurting themselves; one boy apparently will just run, and has almost been hit by cars. The three children have been gradually getting more used to Mele, although they are still very nervous if he moves quickly and are unwilling to hand him treats or be licked by him. We are making a difference, though. The instructors said that the boy who is most afraid saw two dogs at a mall last week and was actually excited and did not try to run away. He spent the half hour of our visit napping on the floor about a foot away from the head, which is a huge improvement. I'm not sure that Mele thinks this is an exciting time, but it's nice to know that he's making a difference.