Autism

What is Autism?

The Mayo Clinic defines Autism as one of a group of serious developmental problems called autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that appear in early childhood — usually before age 3. Though symptoms and severity vary, all autism disorders affect a child’s ability to communicate and interact with others.

The number of children diagnosed with autism appears to be rising. It’s not clear whether this is due to better detection and reporting of autism, a real increase in the number of cases, or both.

While there is no cure for autism, intensive, early treatment can make a big difference in the lives of many children with the disorder. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/autism/DS00348

How can a service dog assist a child with Autism?

Impulsive running: service dog retrieves individual

PICA: service dog interrupts behavior

Self harming behavior: service dog will interrupt behavior

Night Awakenings: alert parents by barking

Social Isolation: Focus shifts to dog.

Fire alarms: service dog alerts the individual out

Mood swings: service dog climbs in lap to calm individual

Streets: service dog will stop individual from walking right out

Sneaking out: service dog alerts parents by barking

Nightmares: service dog will crawl into bed to calm individual

Medication: reminds individual by pawing and barking

Wandering/getting lost: track and find individual/ offer protection

These are just a few examples your service dog can be trained for your needs.