What can ASD Assistance Dogs do for a Child with ASD?

Children with ASD have great difficulty with understanding and expressing emotions. They often miss subtle cues like winks or smiles. This makes it very difficult for them to relate to others including their own family. It can create high levels of stress for both the child and the family. Of course Dogs don't see the difference and are a constant unconditional companion for the child.

Changes in their environment can have an immense impact on them. Often simple things like going shopping or going to the movies can be a very stressful experience that often ends in a melt-down. Having an Assistance Dog along to these outings can create the one stable thing in the child's environment that make the difference between the child enjoying the outing and a melt-down.

They have the tendency to wander off- even from a secure environment. Escape can lead to a life-threatening situation. Some children with ASD do not respond to their name and they rarely comprehend environmental dangers. Assistance dogs are trained to find the child in any environment and to alert parents or carers.

Children with ASD live in a world where they participate in ritualistic and repetitive behaviors, which eventually cause over stimulation and result in a melt-down. Assistance dogs are trained to gently and lovingly interrupt these behaviors so the child can move beyond the behavior.

There is a magical relationship that exists between children with ASD and their Assistance Dogs. These special kids often have very few friends because they struggle to form and maintain social relationships. The Assistance Dog becomes a pivotal companion and a gateway for other children to connect with the child. Children with ASD have been observed to seek out their assistance dog for companionship, comfort and confidence, in ways never shown to their most intimate family members.

This is what makes such an Assistance Dog an invaluable companion for both the child with ASD and also for the family of the child. Children with ASD are often extremely bright and very special. These dogs simply make life so much easier for them and provides them with the kind of unconditional love and companionship that most of us take for granted.