Service dogs for children with autism

Kevin was a child who had classic autism. His senses were often overwhelmed. Even the air would stimulate him. A windy day would result in the boy wandering away from whatever was going on. He enjoyed following the movement of the wind and trees. Kevin just loved the wind.

Kevin’s sense of smell was also heightened too. The boy would often walk over to sniff another child or an adult that was near him. The child would go up to total strangers and start smelling their clothes. His extreme level of senses, especially smell and touch, caused Kevin to have difficulty focusing, especially in school.

Children with classic autism, like Kevin, have significant delays in verbal and non-verbal language. These individuals show major deficits in social skills and often display unusual behaviors, such as repetitive actions. They may also have heightened awareness with their senses and they have rigidity to change. Kevin fit all those categories.

His parents, Celina and Juan were extremely concerned about their child. Kevin had been receiving speech and occupational therapies along with several specialized therapy programs for children with autism. Though advancing some, Kevin still had a long way to go. His mother and father wanted to find a way to keep their child safe and to help him focus more.

After calling Kevin’s teacher, it was suggested the family think about getting an autism service dog. His teacher knew that Kevin had reacted well to the classroom dog, Lady. The boy would follow the animal around the room. Lady, a Chihuahua, seemed to calm the child. She would often curl up in the boy’s lap as the boy worked on classroom activities. Kevin’s parents decided that they would work together with friends and family to raise the funds for a very special dog, a service dog for the boy.

When we think of service dogs, we usually think of the blind. Following World War I, dogs have been used around the world for the blind. Since then, these dogs have been found to help people with hearing impairments, social disabilities, certain medical conditions such as seizures and mobility limitations. Today, service dogs also have been used to help children and adults with autism. Generally, the service dogs are Labradors and golden retrievers.

Specifically trained for this disability, the presence of autism service dogs provides security and a calming influence for these individuals. The dogs actually help improve concrete thinking, focus and attention span for these children and adults. The role of a service dog for people with autism allows them to become more independent and enables them to participate in the community more.

Service dogs are specifically trained to respond to impulsive running. The dog stops the child and brings him back to his parent. They prevent children from eating nonedible food. The dogs will physically interrupt self stimulation and self harming behaviors. When mood swings occur, these animals will crawl onto the lap and calm a child. If a child awakes at night, the dog will bark to let the parents know. Plus, the child no longer is socially isolated as he is now with a dog.

There are several service dog sites for children with autism. Some of the places to obtain additional information on these very special animals include: http://autismservicedogsofamerica.com and http://autism.wilderwood.org. The cost of these dogs can be upwards of several thousand dollars. However, with fund raisers, foundation assistance and volunteer help, the costs can be substantially reduced.

Pamela G. Downing, a special education teacher, can be contacted at downpamg@aol.com.