Karl’s News Prints
Kid Safety to Pet Care Tips
Who We Are
Karl's Kids Program, Inc. is
a 501(c)(3) public charity
working with children on
many topics ranging from
safety issues to hobbies to
enjoy with their family.
The Program makes use of
a child's love of animals
especially dogs to educate
and to entertain the
children. While our main
focus in the Program is on
the children, the Program
also works in the
Community on activities
that encourage the
education of individuals on
the care and training of
the family pet. We work
April is child abuse prevention month
Reports of child abuse may
be made 24-hours a day, 7
days a week online at
www.cybertipline.com or
by calling 1-800-843-
5678.
The Cybertipline began in
1998 and is under the
Nation Center for Missing
& Exploited Children.
Some of the agencies that
work in partnership on this
project are the Federal
Bureau of Investigation
If you know someone who would enjoy our newsletter, please forward to them.
To be added to the subscription listing and receive future e-newsletters, CLICK HERE
with other groups to foster
and make available for
adoption suitable animals
for a family pet. We
believe that by helping
pets, even those not going
into a family with children,
we are still staying with
our original goal of
protecting a child's safety
by assisting owners of any
pet being introduced into a
community. The Program
makes use of various
means to accomplish the
goals of our projects and
activities. We have web
sites and forums, prepare
training materials, talk to
(FBI), the Department of
Homeland Security’s
Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE), the
U.S. Postal Inspection
Service (USPIS), the
Internet Crimes Against
Children Task Forces
(ICACs), the U.S. Secret
Service (USSS), and the
U.S. Department of
Justice’s Child Exploitation
and Obscenity Section
(CEOS).
groups of children and
adults, set up information
booths, and disburse
handouts. Our volunteers
are active in many groups
and are encouraged to
participate in other
charitable organizational
activities and help on a
local scale in their
community. Karl's Kids
Program does not get
involved in controversial
situations and never
promotes any one religious
or political party view. We
encourage a pride
of country and of
the family unit.
Adults wanting to learn
more on protecting the
children in their homes
and community can visit
the National Center for
Missing & Exploited
Children Website at
www.missingkids.com.
Our mission is to educate
children on safety topics; to
assist a child in having a good
quality of life; and to promote
family and community values
through various means including
but not limited to the natural
bond between a child and an
animal, primarily that of the dog.
Volume 1, Issue 1
April 2009
Inside this issue:
Magazine Subscriptions 2
Psychiatric Service Dogs 2
How Asperger’s 3
Syndrome Affects Me
What is Asperger’s 5
Syndrome?
Therapy Dog 6
Ask a Trainer — Positive 7
Reinforcement
A Kid’s Agreement to 7
Internet Safety Rules
1st Annual Florida Week 8
for the Animals
Canine Ambassador 9
Visits
Karl’s Kids Program, Inc.
P.O Box 1119
Hawthorne, FL 32640
A 501 ( c)(3) Public
Charity
Victoria Warfel,
Newsletter Editor
Page 2
Magazine Subscriptions
By Theresa Jennings
You can continue to enjoy some of
your favorite magazines while
helping support Karl's Kids! Just go
to our main website
www.karlskidsprogram.com and
click on the *Donor* button to see
our magazine ordering link. Or go
directly to our Magazine Shop site at
www.magfundraising.com/
karlskidsprogram . We hope you will
help support KsKs by ordering or
Psychiatric Service Dogs
Points to remember in looking for a dog to owner Train
By Kirsten Richards, ADAP
Coordinator
Step one, of course, is to find a
trainer you can work with to help
you make that selection. We know
from statistics released by Paws
With A Cause
(www.pawswithacause.org) that
in the general population of dogs,
only 1 in a hundred has all of the
qualities needed to become a good
service dog. If you have not
previously trained an advanced dog,
your chances improve dramatically if
you hire an expert to do the
choosing for you.
The temperament evaluation on a
PSD is critical. Most people with
mental illness are naturally drawn to
dogs with clingy personalities, often
called "velcro" dogs. This is the
opposite of what they really need,
which is a dog with rock solid nerve
who won't get drawn into the
handler's emotional distress but will
remain a rock of calmness in the
storm of emotions.
renewing your favorite magazine
subscriptions online and sharing our
site with your friends and relatives.
Now you can purchase magazines
year-round while saving money and
supporting your favorite
organization! With over 650
magazines to choose from, you can
renew your favorite magazines,
subscribe to new magazines that
interest you or give gift
subscriptions to friends, relatives
Again, instead of focusing on breed,
focus on need. It need not be a
purebred dog. Check with all
Assistance Dogs (Guide Dogs,
Hearing Dogs, and Service Dogs) are
dogs who are trained tasks to
mitigate the needs of their disabled
handlers. Federal law (Title III of the
ADA ) gives Public Access rights to
people with disabilities and allows
them to be accompanied by their
trained assistance dogs in most public
places.
rescues and don't exclude mixes
based solely on not being purebred.
Remember that the cost of the dog
itself is usually the least of your
expenses. Initial vet visits are
typically $100 to $200, there's
spaying/neutering, heartworm and
Karl’s News Prints
and/or business associates. And all
at up to 85% off of newsstand
prices while 40% of your
purchase will go directly to
KsKs!
Currently we are trying to purchase
an enclosed trailer to use in our food
and product disbursements, to use
for community activities, and to
move supplies in preparation or
response in emergency
situations for people or for animals.
flea preventive, dog food, beds/
leads/bowls and other supplies,
training, medications and so on. I
typically spend about $80 per month
on my dog.
So work up your budget first, before
looking for a dog. If finances are an
issue, make sure you can really
afford to care for a dog. It's
heartbreaking to fall in love with one
and then have to give it up because
you just can't provide for it
adequately.
Ms. Richards is an advocate
for Assistance Dogs and is the owner of
Service Dog Central
www.servicedogcentral.org
Volume 1, Issue 1
How asperger’s syndrome affects me
By Kristin Horner
A lot of people who see me and
even people who know me might
not realize that there is anything
different about me at all. AS isn’t
something that you can see, so a lot
of people that I pass on the street
wouldn’t have a clue. People who
know me generally don’t know what
is different, because most people
don’t know about AS. They may
think that I am just a little bit “off.”
Or that I am an eccentric academic.
Or that I’m rude, shy, bored, or
uncomfortable. I’m not sure exactly
what it is that I do and say that
makes me different. I suppose if I
knew, then I could fix it and I
wouldn’t have AS anymore. So I try
to get by the best that I can,
working with what I’ve got.
I’ve never had a lot of friends. Not
even in preschool, according to my
mom. I tried to play with the other
kids, but they just weren’t doing it
right, and it confused me. As I went
through school, I became baffled as
to why nobody liked me. Elementary
school and middle school are hard
times for lots of people, but people
with AS are easy targets for bullies.
I came home from school crying a
lot. I just didn’t understand what I
was doing wrong, and my mother
couldn’t explain it to me. I became
severely depressed as the pressures
of keeping up with school and social
expectations grew in high school. I
was unable to eat in the cafeteria or
attend pep rallies and assemblies
because they were too loud and
visually chaotic. It was just too
much to process all at once and my
brain got confused.
Things eventually turned around for
me when I went out of state for
college. I was forced to become less
dependent on my parents. I was
blessed with a very supportive
roommate. We explored campus,
shopped, worked, and lived together
for four years. She even understood
that I did not do well in big crowds,
and threw me a surprise party for
my 21st birthday with just me and
three guests, because she knew I’d
be miserable with a huge
celebration. Even though I am
grateful for this, I still wish that I
could have (and enjoy) a large
party. I had originally planned on
being a physical therapist, but I
realized that I didn’t want to have
the pressure of having to talk to
patients. Once I discovered the
cadaver lab, where the patients
don’t talk, I was hooked.
There are several ways in which the
AS affects my daily life. I still have
difficulty with social interactions,
and not very many friends. I do
have one fairly good friend in the
anthropology department, and
nobody really dislikes me, but I’m
often just ignored. The way that AS
feels is like there was a time that
social skills were being taught in
school and I just happened to be
absent that day; everybody else got
them but me. It makes me sad
when people are making plans to go
out that night or weekend, and I’m
not invited even though I’m sitting
right there. But the reality is that I
probably would have a hard time
relaxing if I did go, because it would
Page 3
be a large group of people. So even
though I wish I could go, I know
that I would be uncomfortable.
I also have trouble going out on my
own. I particularly have trouble with
stores, where there is a lot of stuff
going on. When I go to the grocery
store, I get flooded with sights,
sounds, people, and touches. The
shelves are like visual chaos, with so
many different colors stretching
from the floor to above my head. So
many things competing for my
attention that my eyes don’t know
where to look, and they just keep
flitting from one thing to another
until I feel lost and detached. I am
also overwhelmed by the noises: the
humming of the coolers in the
produce department, high-pitched
children’s voices, disembodied
announcements, and the constant
music. People are everywhere, and I
always have to worry that
somebody will talk to me. What
should I say? All I want to do is get
out of there as quickly as possible,
and people are in my way. I also
have a hard time with my balance
and spatial perception, so I tend to
bump into shelves and people.
Needless to say, I hate to go to the
grocery store. I haven’t bought
much more than frozen dinners,
yogurt, pretzels, salad, and protein
bars in quite a while, just because
those are the easiest things for me
to grab. With such a limited list, I
can get in and out as fast as
possible. But I would really love to
be able to buy real ingredients and
actually cook food. They only sell
(Continued on page 4)
Page 4
How asperger’s syndrome affects me
(Continued from page 3)
two flavors of frozen dinners that
are vegetarian that actually taste
okay, and I’m getting sick of eating
those.
I have the same problems when I go
shopping for clothes. I usually avoid
clothes shopping altogether. I am
picky about my clothes because lots
of things feel annoying to me or the
colors are too bright. I usually wear
jeans and a t-shirt, because that is
what is most comfortable. I have to
cut the tags out of most of my
clothes, too. I have tried to go
clothes shopping on my own, and
sometimes I can. But most of the
time I have to drive an hour to my
mom’s house (or she drives here) to
go with her so she can help me. She
helps me focus and feel like I’m not
alone, but she can annoy me
sometimes too because she doesn’t
go through the racks in order. We
take lots of breaks, which I often
don’t do when I’m shopping on my
own because I’m afraid of sitting in
a food court or something by
myself.
I also have a tendency to completely
lose it over small things. I don’t
handle change very well. I can
actually do okay if nobody knows
what the plan is and I know that; I
can go with the flow. But if other
people know the plan and I don’t, or
if the plan changes, I have a hard
time adjusting. When things like this
happen, I just start crying, even if I
know that I’m being unreasonable,
and I have to sort of wait it out. This
can be embarrassing when it
happens in public and I get upset
over something stupid. I went to a
store at the mall to take advantage
of their “buy 2, get 1 free” sale
combined with a $10 off coupon, but
when I got there they only had two
of the item in the correct size in
stock. It was hard enough to go to
the mall alone and go in there, and
then talk to the sales clerk. To hear
her say that I’d have to either pick
Asperger's Syndrome Basic Facts:
1) AS is a type of PDD (pervasive
development disorder) and is
sometimes called Asperger's
Disorder.
2) AS is often referred to as a high
functioning form of Autism
3) AS in named for Dr. Hans Asperger
who spoke on the disorder in the
early 1940s.
4) Children and adults with AS are
known to have difficulties making
friends and in general with various
social situations.
out something else or go to their
store at the other mall was just too
much for me. I have trouble making
decisions like that on the spot, so
picking out a different style was not
going to happen. And the other mall
was several miles away and in an
area of town that I find difficult to
drive in. Plus, I’d have to go to
another mall. I had to walk away
quickly as I started to cry, and had
to walk through the whole mall to
get back to my car. There was, of
course, no logical reason to have
this response, but that is what
Karl’s News Prints
happens with AS. Sometimes this
can hurt people I love, like when my
mom told me that she wouldn’t be
able to pick me up from the airport.
I began crying and objecting that it
wasn’t fair of her to change the
plans because I’d told her about my
flight months ago. Of course it made
her feel bad. I knew it, and I didn’t
want to make her feel bad, but I
couldn’t really stop it.
AS has had a significant impact on
my academic career. I often have
trouble concentrating in class
because things are distracting me.
People clicking their pens, typing on
laptops, tapping their toes, walking
by in the hallway outside the door,
coughing, and all kinds of other
things. Most students wouldn’t
notice these things, but each one of
them demands my attention.
In the classroom, I tend to either
talk too much or not at all. I can’t
seem to find the line that other
students seem to know about. My
teachers sometimes think that I am
rude or not interested. Sometimes
I’m not interested. But most of the
time I’m doing my best to pay
attention.
Again, I have trouble with changes
to my routine in the classroom. In
one class last spring, the teacher
rearranged all of the tables and put
us into groups for a lab. I didn’t like
that the room was rearranged, he
split me up from the only person in
the class that I knew, and I didn’t
understand what the point of the lab
was. I pretty much shut down and
(Continued on page 5)
Volume 1, Issue 1
How asperger’s syndrome affects me
(Continued from page 4)
didn’t talk to anybody or get
anything out of the lab at all,
because I was having so much
trouble with the disruption in my
routine and couldn’t deal with it.
I even have trouble with changes in
the routine at church. This past
Sunday, the pastor encouraged us
to find another person or group of
people and come to the front with
these people to take communion
together. Not only was this a change
to my routine, but it required talking
to people in a forced setting. I
pretty much panicked and sat there
until somebody came and talked to
me, and I still felt very awkward.
Telephone calls are difficult, too.
Pretty much any situation where I’m
going to have to talk to a stranger.
Even when I’m talking to people I
know, I don’t always know what to
say. Social situations are very
What is asperger’s syndrome?
From What Is Asperger Syndrome?
By Barbara L. Kirby
Founder of the OASIS Web site
(www.aspergersyndrome.org)
Co-author of THE OASIS GUIDE TO
ASPERGER SYNDROME (Crown,
2001, Revised 2005)
Quote:
At this time there is a great deal of
debate as to exactly where AS fits.
It is presently described as an
stressful for me. I often have to
come home and take a nap if I’ve
been doing something that has
required a lot of talking to people,
because I’m just exhausted from
the effort. This makes school harder
for me, too, because I end up
sleeping more than a lot of other
students. Other students come
home from classes and can spend
time doing work, but I come home
from classes exhausted and can’t
work until I take a nap.
I also know that the AS affects my
work. I do a lot of work as a
teaching assistant and in similar
positions. This often requires
teaching medium and small-sized
groups of students. I try to relate to
them, but I often just don’t know
what to say. Last fall, students
wrote in on my evaluation forms
that I did okay with the academic
side of the teaching, but I was
“socially awkward.”
autism spectrum disorder and Uta
Frith, in her book AUTISM AND
ASPERGER'S SYNDROME, described
AS individuals as "having a dash of
Autism". Some professionals feel
that AS is the same as High
Functioning Autism, while others
feel that it is better described as a
Nonverbal Learning Disability. AS
shares many of the characteristics
of PDD-NOS (Pervasive
Developmental Disorder; Not
otherwise specified), HFA, and NLD
and because it was virtually
Page 5
There is no part of my life that AS
does not affect. I am reminded of
my limitations when I go to
appointments, classes, work, the
store, church, and interact with my
peers. To me, AS means feeling
lonely and overwhelmed a lot of the
time. Fortunately, it also means that
I have a different perspective and
different strengths than other
people. I am very good with jigsaw
puzzles, which translates to me
being very good in the forensic lab
with putting together broken
fragments of bone. I also tend to
look at things in unique ways,
coming up with ideas or seeing
themes that others don’t. I am very
creative and I love to do crafts. I am
very intelligent, which means that I
can compensate for some of my
limitations. And other aspects of AS
that I can’t overcome, I can at least
understand. It is my hope that an
assistance dog will help me face
some of those limitations that I have
unknown until a few years ago,
many individuals either received an
incorrect diagnosis or remained
undiagnosed. For example, it is not
at all uncommon for a child who was
initially diagnosed with ADD or
ADHD be re-diagnosed with AS. In
addition, some individuals who were
originally diagnosed with HFA or
PDD-NOS are now being given the
AS diagnosis and many individuals
have a dual diagnosis of Asperger
Syndrome and High Functioning
Autism.
Page 6 Karl’s News Prints

Therapy Dog
By Miss Anna Meredith & Charlotte choose whether to show Anna off to Therapy Dogs are not assistance
DeBaere the staff and other residents, take dogs and their owner handlers
her on a walk, or simply sit with her
Anna, my four year old, blond have no special rights of access
on his lap, giving her all his love and
cocker spaniel--part of the VITAS
attention. Often, he chooses to do with their dogs. Therapy Dogs
Pet Pal team--and I enter
all three. Usually at are still classified as pets and are
the facility. As I look
some point, we
around, I see the residents' only allowed where they have
stroll around the
eyes light up, and I watch
facility, and he special permission to attend or in
people become more
shares her with those places where any other pet
animated. People come
everyone who is
toward us and start dog is allowed.
interested. It gets
reaching down to say "hi"
him out and active, tells me about his life. His wife is
and pet Anna. I look
and his pride in the hospice patient, and he talks
around and spot the person
having her with him about his fears of her dying. He
we are coming to visit, and
is visible to all. tries to figure out what he will do
we head toward him. When
after she is gone. He tells me about
he sees us, his eyes come It is my
his childhood, his parents, his
alive and a smile spreads responsibility to see
brother, and school. He tells me
across his face. I approach him and that she works with him as
about the dog he had as a child and
hand him Anna's leash. For the next effectively as possible. It is my
the dogs his children have. He
hour and a half, Anna will be his pleasure to grow to know Richard
regularly talks about his children
dog. He is in charge and gets to for as he sits loving on Anna, he
and grandchildren. But what makes
this communication possible is that
it all happens while he is focused on
Anna. He talks to me while she lays
on his lap and he gives her a belly
Fruit Smoothies rub or scratches her ears, and it is
her presence that breaks down
You will need a blender or food processor for this one.
barriers. Anna gives him
In the blender or processor add the following ingredients:
unconditional love, and he reflects
that back onto her. During a time
1 cup nonfat vanilla or plain yogurt or lowfat milk
when he is being forced to accept
1/4 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
that he will soon be losing his
2 ice cubes
greatest love, he has a dog
Any washed and cut up fruit that you want to use (fresh or
distracting him from his worries and
frozen)
enjoying every moment he spends
Blend for 30-40 seconds or until smooth with her. One day, he will have to
Pour into glasses and refrigerate until served face his wife passing on, but I hope
he will remember that there is a
Kids, make sure you have an adult show you how to work a little dog with a big heart who will
blender or food processor. Older kids, only use without continue to love him no matter how
supervision with adult permission. much pain he is in. Hopefully, Anna
will be able to provide him with
some solace and be a part of his
journey towards healing.
Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 7

Ask a Trainer — Positive Reinforcement

What is positive
reinforcement and
why should I look
for a trainer who
specializes in it?
A well-trained dog is a wonderful
companion in life, and bad behavior
is the number one reason dogs end
up at shelters. Dogs learn faster and
have a longer retention when
trained using positive methods.
Training should be fun, both for you
and your dog!
Positive Reinforcement works by
using praise and positive actions or
rewards, rather than punishment or
correctional actions, to teach your
dog right from wrong. The key to
this is determining what motivates
your dog, and using that motivator
as a reward upon correct the action. If, however, you ignore
performance. In positive the good behavior, and focus on
reinforcement, you can use treats, scolding the bad behavior, that
toys, playing, petting, verbal praise, behavior will likely repeat because
or a combination of these, to reward that is how they earned your
your dog for correct behavior. attention. You can reward your child
not only with praise or a new toy,
For the dog, any attention is good
but also with play time
attention, so be certain you only
and time together.
reward the behaviors you want, and
ignore or correct and redirect the
behaviors you do not want.
Victoria is the owner of
Positive Reinforcement works well DarkSaber Dog Training
& Behavior Modification
with children, also. Children love
attention, any attention, and when
they know what to do to get your
attention, they will do it, good or
bad. Do you have a question about dogs
you would like answered next
If you praise your child when they
month? Email Victoria!
do their homework, or clean their
room, they remember that, enjoy
the attention, and will likely repeat

www.karlskidsprogram.info/forum

A Kid’s agreement to internet safety rules

 Do not tell anyone your last name, your address, your telephone number, the name of your school
or even what town it is in, or where your parents work.

 If someone sends you a message that makes you uncomfortable, tell an adult in your
house right away.

 Do not ever agree to meet someone that you met over the Internet.

 Do not have secret friends.

 Do not send a friend that you met on the Internet a picture of yourself.

 The only time any of the rules above can be broken is with the permission of an adult in your
home.

For more information on Internet Safety visit Karl's Kids Program Website and go to the Internet Safety in
the Kids section.

http://www.karlskidsprogram.com/InternetSafety.html
Page 8 Karl’s News Prints

1st annual Florida week for the animals

Celebrating the 1st Annual Florida Week for the Animals
“They’ll Steal Your Heart”

Hosted by The Humane Society of Northeast Florida

Location: Palatka Riverfront Park, Palatka, Florida

Date: Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2009

Photos—Cammie the Pony belongs to 3 yr old Mara Adams

who received him from Santa this past Christmas. Also shown
is 9 yr old big brother Mitchell Adams (yellow shirt) escorting
his sister.

The Blessing of the Animals was given by

Father Ignatius Plathanam of St. Monica’s
Catholic Church of Palatka (bottom left
picture).
Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 9

Canine ambassador visits

Jedi Visits Project
Friends
Victoria Warfel and Jedi led
a four-part series of Project
Friends Clubs at Glen
Springs Elementary. Each
week we focus on a
different dog-related topic:
dog safety and responsible
dog ownership, dog
grooming, dog training, &
playing with your dog .
There are 7-10 kids in each
club, and they look forward to seeing Jedi
and spending time together. We have
participated in Clubs five times so far, and
look forward to doing more before the
school year ends.

Jedi Visits the Girl Scouts

Victoria Warfel and Jedi visited the Girl Scouts and Brownies on February 16th for a Canine Ambassador
presentation. We reviewed how to greet a dog, dog safety, responsible dog ownership, service dogs, therapy
dogs, and dog training. The girls asked questions, told us about their dogs, and came up to say hi to Jedi.
 Karl’s Kids Program, Inc.
We’re on the web!
www.karlskidsprogram.com
OUR SPONSORS
KARL’S KIDS PROGRAM, INC. LICENSE #CH19826
A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND
FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED
FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY
CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE
STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY
ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR
RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.
Upcoming Topics in Next Issue:
Rayne’s Reading Room
Easter Activity
Community Partnerships
The Humane Society of Northeast Florida
Volunteer Highlight
Bike Safety
Upcoming Events:
April 16 — Spring Break at the Library
May 17-23 — Celebrate EMS Week
Thank you!
Dennis & Kristina Adams
Lance & Theresa Jennings
Richard & Victoria Warfel
If you’d like to advertise here and become one of our
sponsors, please contact us today!
CLICK HERE
Karl’s Kids Program, Inc. cannot guarantee any services or products of busi-
nesses listed. We will, to the best of our ability, only list those who are keep-
ing with the values of our organization.