Dog Changes Life for Kirkwood Boy With Autism
How a service dog has turned around life for a 10 year old and his family.
It was the first time in four years that Tommy Schiller, 10, of Kirkwood, slept through the night, and it was because of a dog. Tommy was diagnosed with autism when he was three-and-a-half years old. Symptoms came on suddenly and mother Maura Schiller thought they might go away. They did not. “Every year, Tommy lost skills despite all of the therapies and interventions. When he was about 5 years old, it really got bad,” Maura said. Self-mutilation, anxiety and running away became a part of Tommy’s life, and nights were never restful. Tommy would bang against the window all night, constantly run to the bathroom to wash his hands and tried to start fires in the microwave, according to Maura. But then the Schillers brought home Art, a 1-year…
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