Wags4Kids ~ Donations for Wayne

Wayne is a five year old twin who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at 2 years old.  Wayne is a recipient of Botox shots for his legs, as a means to temporarily "paralyze" the muscles, minimize muscle spasms and allow intense stretching of his legs.  Ultimately, it is provided to minimize "toe walking" and improve Wayne's gait.  He receives physical, occupational and speech therapy each week, both in and out of school.  He participates in therapeutic horseback riding as part of his physical therapy program.  Wayne has severe oral apraxia, which has significantly delayed his speech development.  He relies on a combination of very limited speech (a handful of words), sign language (approximations due to limitations with fine motor abilities) and a touch screen communication device to interact with others.  Wayne gets very excited when he sees a dog, repeating "mom", "mom" as he points to it, to make sure I see and acknowledge the dog he saw.  A couple of the privileges of having a service dog include Wayne practicing gross motor skills (throwing, catching, walking, running, etc), and continuing to practice speech and sign language.  The opportunity to have a service dog who responds to sign language is wonderful and can be a great motivator for Wayne.  We do not know whether Wayne's speech will develop to a stage where he will not rely on signing or computers to assist. Ultimately, the opportunity to have a trained companion dog for Wayne as he improves his developmental areas is a gift we could not provide without the help of WAGS.
 

Make a donation to help Wayne.