Aviary Relaxes Autistic Children Of Garden City

The aviary is filled with colorful birds. The school is filled with autistic children. Together, there is harmony. "We put in a dozen finches, and the teachers couldn't say enough about how the birds relaxed the kids," said Franchisee Bob Thorne, who operates the Petland store in Novi, Mich. Thorne, a well-known advocate for community service, spends a great deal of time traveling with his Petland pets, visiting senior citizens and educating school children. The aviary project at the Burger School for Students in Garden City has been on Thorne's creative community service list for some time. With construction of the aviary now complete, Thorne says teachers at the school are applauding the results. Teachers report the aviary gives them a "window to teach into." A window to learning Learning how to care for birds has been a positive experience for the autistic children, according to Thorne. Therefore, when autistic behaviors complicate traditional learning sessions, the teachers are able to refer back to positive bird training classes and get students back on track with learning other important skills. "Autistic children can respond to animals sometimes more than they can respond to people," Thorne said, noting that a number of human-animal bond studies support the conclusion that pets are calming and provide focus to those with autism. He adds, "The experience the autistic student shares with the bird is able to capture the child's attention thus giving a teacher a way to reach that child." Thorne made a $350 investment in the aviary and let the autistic students help with construction. The aviary is located in one of the school's main corridors and measures about 5 feet wide, 4 feet high and 2 1/2 feet deep. Future farming project With the aviary built, Thorne has another community service project on his very active "to-do" list. It is a concept that combines business with community. "There are some churches in the inner city of Detroit that have been working with women in drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs. The women have been growing vegetables to give them purpose and to develop the necessary skills to get back into the mainstream. I think this farming concept would also work with rabbits," Thorne said. Thorne has the project underway. He purchased materials to build the hutches in the fall. The hutches were built according to drawings provided by the Michigan State University extension service. Representatives there coached the women on construction. Extension agents also made recommendations on breeding stock, of which Thorne purchased for the program. "The women bond and connect with these small animals, thereby providing a deeper purpose in their lives," said Thorne, who also sees feeding and growing the rabbits as a way for the women to generate some income. "The program was not too successful in the winter months, but things are looking up. I am purchasing and picking up my first bunnies in mid-May." Thorne is networking, working with other pet store operators, who would purchase the rabbits and support the community program. He believes the program could eventually include raising cockatiels and parakeets, too.

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