The Clinton Macomb Public Library offers a program called Paws for Reading. The program gives kids the opportunity to practice their reading skills by reading to a therapy dog.
We thought it would be fun for Caitlin to give it a try. She likes trying new things. Caitlin has a speech disability and has gone to speech therapy for many years. We thought this different type of session might encourage her to speak more. She loves meeting new people and furry friends and welcomes the opportunity to have a conversation with someone new.
Jasmine the therapy dog was so sweet! She sat patiently and listened intently as Caitin read to her. She even has adorable trading cards! We learned that Jasmine’s handler is also a speech therapist at a local school district. She did an excellent job communicating with Caitlin.
It’s ok to visit with the therapy dog if your child or young adult doesn’t read or is shy. The Paws team is happy to help wherever they are on their reading journey!
Here’s a link to the Clinton Macomb Public Library events page: https://cmpl.libnet.info/events To get the dates of the programs to show, I typed in “paws” in the events search and selected a custom date. Note that the program alternates at the libraries three different locations.
Here’s a link to Go Team Therapy Dogs if you wish to learn more or support the program: Home – Go Team Therapy, Crisis and Airport Dogs, Inc. (goteamdogs.org)
JoAnn’s journey as a parent and caregiver to an individual with disabilities started when her daughter was born pre-maturely with multiple health issues resulting in cognitive, physical and speech disabilities. Over the years, JoAnn discovered that recreation, travel and social experiences can bring happiness and relief to a life that is often stressful and frustrating. She loves to seek out adaptive, accessible and fun activities for her daughter and the whole family to enjoy. She started the blog www.OurSpecialFunOasis.com to share her uplifting stories and positive ideas to help and to inspire others.