People who have experience with ASD

AshleighW13 · October 2014

My son's psychologist recommended we get an Autism Service dog to help with some of his issues. Just wondering if anyone has had experience with this. Every group that I've read about that trains the dogs has you fundraising around $13,000 dollars of more before you qualify and I just don't know how feasible that will be.

jap618 · October 2014

I worked with a boy who had one. We we're only working with him in the beginning/training period but it was setting up to do some awesome stuff. It was definitely expensive but if it's something you can swing I would consider it!

JCWhitey · October 2014

When I was a nanny the little guy I worked for was in the process of getting one. I believe she was $10,000. Definitely worth it, though. Until his stupid school threw a fit when he wanted to bring the dog to school. The family won that battle but were made to feel very uncomfortable about it. Unfortunately you have to deal with a lot of ignorance from the general public when it comes to service and therapy dogs.

CoozieInMyPurse · October 2014

No experience with autism service dogs, but my MIL has a service dog for mobility and auditory issues. I second JCWhitey's statement of putting up with a lot of shit. Some people are wonderful (kids especially so), but there are a lot of assholes out there. Be especially wary of restaurants run by people who are not originally from the US. My MIL carries copies of pertinent parts of the ADA and still gets told the dog can't come in, or they try to seat us on the patio in bad weather, etc. Not every place and once they get to know her, they love the dog.

Every service dog I've encountered is amazing and so helpful/useful to their owner. It's definitely worth looking into.

Unknown · October 2014

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JCWhitey · October 2014

meladoriestar said:

I'm not sure there's much solid research supporting the use of animal therapies with autism. I would suggest clarifying what the overall goals are and what benefits the psychologist thinks the dog will have. Then weigh the pros and cons (lack of research, expense, potential benefit vs potential risk). I'm a huge advocate of evidence based treatment (BCBA here), but I also think that certain things can be beneficial even if they don't have evidence yet. In this case, a therapy dog may or may not help but it likely won't make anything worse. I will add that I've been working with kids with autism for almost ten years and I've never had a client with a therapy dog, so I can't really speak from experience. I say do some solid research. Also, there's a special needs board that might help.

It could be case by case, of course, but there have been numerous studies that have shown that animals can have a very calming affect on humans, which can lower blood pressure, encourage the body to heal, and help with focus and concentration. I used to work in an animal center that had a nice therapy animal program (we'd bring therapy animals to hospitals, nursing homes, etc.) and our funding was backed by extensive medical research. With the little boy I worked with his family actually got their therapy dog after their family dog passed away. It was insane the night and day difference between how he was when the family dog was still alive and then after its passing. That dog could soothe him and calm him better than any human. The reason they decided to fork over the $10,000 for a trained dog was because they didn't want to trust an untrained dog to behave appropriately around their son. The family dog was around when he was born and took to being his protector right away, that's not the sort of thing you can find too easily with an adopted dog after the child is already past infancy, unless they are trained.

Whitfry · October 2014

I work as a therapist for special needs kids, several with autism. While none of my kiddos have service animals, I have seen first hand the benefit animal companions can have.

I agree with @meladoriestar‌, though, that looking at the specific therapy goals for the animal would be beneficial. A trained therapy animal is a huge investment. What, exactly, does your son's therapist hope to accomplish? Sometimes there are goals that can be promoted through a companion animal who has been through simpler training and is therefore not such a financial drain. So maybe getting a clearer picture on the expectations for your son would be helpful. Things like reduced anxiety, improved social interaction, general calmness, and improved language skills can all benefit from a companion animal with the proper temperament. But they can train service animals to a huge variety of tasks, so if your son is in need of something more complex, it might be the way to go.

Unknown · October 2014

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AshleighW13 · October 2014

@whitfry the main goal is to help with anxiety and sleep issues

colleen4019 · October 2014

meladoriestar said:
I'm not sure there's much solid research supporting the use of animal therapies with autism. I would suggest clarifying what the overall goals are and what benefits the psychologist thinks the dog will have. Then weigh the pros and cons (lack of research, expense, potential benefit vs potential risk). I'm a huge advocate of evidence based treatment (BCBA here), but I also think that certain things can be beneficial even if they don't have evidence yet. In this case, a therapy dog may or may not help but it likely won't make anything worse.

I will add that I've been working with kids with autism for almost ten years and I've never had a client with a therapy dog, so I can't really speak from experience. I say do some solid research. Also, there's a special needs board that might help.

Im a BCBA too!! So awesome to meet another.

I've never worked directly with a kiddo that uses a service dog but I've met other kids (at special needs events& activities) who have autism service dogs with them. My OPINION (not at all based in any evidence) is that they are very expensive and the cost/benefit ratio just doesn't work out. That being said I love dogs and think every kid should have one. And if there is a potential therapeutic value all the better. Make sure you are looking to a reputable breeder/trainer/organization, I don't know if it's true but a parent I used to work with said that she had know a family that was scammed into buying one that was not qualified to be a therapy dog.

Is also like to add that if a child has issues with aggression and will agrees on a dog (therapy dog or otherwise) he should not have one. Even the best therapy dogs can snap and bite/hurt children following years of abuse.

kellbell1982 · October 2014

My daughter doesn't have one mostly because of the cost and waiting list but I'd love to have one for her. Even just a pet to keep her company. We were going to get a dog but decided to wait until the baby is born and older

AshleyS512 · October 2014

My dad's dog completed therepy dog certification, I don't think it was specifically for autism but my dad was a teacher at a small K-12 charter school that allowed him to have the dog (Cooper) in the classroom. He said it was very calming, especially for some of the younger kids who just needed time with Cooper on days they struggled a bit.

I'm definitely an advocate for family dogs but, as pp said, just make sure to pick the right breed for your family.

Unknown · October 2014

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copperrose · October 2014

@meladoriestar Loved your response! I 100% agree with looking at the evidence base. Autism is an area that has a lot of research in terms of effective interventions behind it. That being said, I am more familiar with the school-related behaviors rather than anxiety and sleep issues which are more medical. Good luck with whatever you decide!

CoozieInMyPurse · October 2014

geordie314 said:

CoozieInMyPurse said:

No experience with autism service dogs, but my MIL has a service dog for mobility and auditory issues. I second JCWhitey's statement of putting up with a lot of shit. Some people are wonderful (kids especially so), but there are a lot of assholes out there. Be especially wary of restaurants run by people who are not originally from the US. My MIL carries copies of pertinent parts of the ADA and still gets told the dog can't come in, or they try to seat us on the patio in bad weather, etc. Not every place and once they get to know her, they love the dog. Every service dog I've encountered is amazing and so helpful/useful to their owner. It's definitely worth looking into.

You know it's illegal for them to not let them in right?

Yes, hence the carrying around the law. Of course, not everyone knows that it is illegal to prohibit the dog. It's also illegal to ask if a dog is a service dog or why the owner needs the dog. My MIL is currently pressing charges against one restaurant that refused her service.

Whitfry · October 2014

AshleighW13 said:
@whitfry the main goal is to help with anxiety and sleep issues

You might find that you don't need a fully licensed service dog for those things. They offer inexpensive training to have dogs certified as "therapy" dogs - significant difference between therapy animal and service animal. Different training, different requirements, etc. also, some groups provide financial aid and such. The main thing is the temperament of the dog itself.

Here are some resources to explore:
https://www.akc.org/akctherapydog/organizations.cfm

AshleighW13 · October 2014

@whitfry yeah I agree with you I'm more on the fence of getting a family dog and training it. Although I'm starting to think my Basset Hound I had before I moved out of my mom's house has been around DS since he was born and loves to snuggle with him would be a good fit. He sleeps with DS when we are down there, is extremely calm and patient with him. With a little extra training he would be perfect.

lynndavid6912 · October 2014

I have nothing to add, but feel like @meladoriestar and @colleen4019 hit it on the nose. I work in school systems and have worked specifically with kids on the spectrum for the last 8 or so years and have also never had a student with therapy dog.

kellbell1982 · October 2014

For those that have an ASD child, are you worried about having another child on the spectrum? I wasn't for the longest time but now the doubts and worries are creeping in. My daughter is ASD and now that I know I'm having another daughter it's really gettin to me. I love my daughter more than life and I wouldn't go back and change her if I could but the truth is, it's hard to deal with a lot and I don't know how I would handle two. This baby has a different father but I don't know if that matters. Do any of you have other children not on the spectrum?

AshleighW13 · October 2014

@kellbell1982 DS is on the spectrum but DD seems to be developing normally with no problems, so far anyways, she's only 11 months. As for this next child I'm going to assume he/she is fine until I see issues. I try not to worry about it because I will make myself go crazy with what if's if I start to worry.

thejucheidea · October 2014

Our Golden Retriever is a certified therapy dog! The training wasn't very difficult because he's a gentleman, and he's simply the best dog ever. He's very empathetic, and even though we trained him to visit with my patients when I worked in a nursing home, he's also great when I'm anxious.

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