While I am excited to get Jack into an intensive autism program - I am also kind of sad because this is not the childhood I had imagined for him. Its going to be hard for Jack. I hope and believe it will be worth it. I sure am going to miss him though. The idea is that Jack will be going to a center for 40 hours a week and it will be quite a commute for him.
I've been reading about autism service dogs and the benefits they bring not only for the autistic child but also for the whole family. I'm thinking that it is going to be a HUGE deal when Jack graduates from his ABA program - hopefully in about 3 years or so. I am thinking that when Jack graduates - a canine service dog may be the best graduation present for him. I am going to
do this for Jack when he turns 5/graduates from ABA. Sounds like a great thing
for him and our whole family.
Siblings
When a child with autism has a Service Dog, this fact can not only mean less work for the parents, it can mean less work for the siblings. Siblings of an autistic child often become what psychologists refer to as "The Little Parent", behaving more like a care-giver than a child. When the autistic child has a Service Dog, though, their siblings feel less pressure to constantly interact and take care of their disabled sibling.
There are several services that a trained Autism Service Dog can provide:
When a child with autism has a Service Dog, this fact can not only mean less work for the parents, it can mean less work for the siblings. Siblings of an autistic child often become what psychologists refer to as "The Little Parent", behaving more like a care-giver than a child. When the autistic child has a Service Dog, though, their siblings feel less pressure to constantly interact and take care of their disabled sibling.
There are several services that a trained Autism Service Dog can provide:
- The Service Dog can be a "safety dog", which is
helpful if the person with autism often runs off. The child is tethered to the
dog and the dog becomes a protector of sorts for the child.
- Sometimes this task is more oriented towards finding the child when they run off, in which case the Service Dog is usually referred to as "Search and Rescue". See our page onpreventing wandering off.
- These dogs also serve as a “social ice breaker”
because other people are often attracted to a dog and will interact more readily
with the person. These additional avenues for social interaction acceptance can
be extremely meaningful. For autistic children, often social challenges are one
of the worst symptoms, and the dog creates a social conduit for interacting with
others.
- Additionally, often children with autism are themselves much more comfortable interactive when they're around the dog.
- Alerting toseizures.
- The Service Dog can interrupt the behavior of:
- PICA (impulsive eating of non-food items)
- Self-stimulation, such as slapping the face
- Self-harming
- Helping with refusal to speak:
- The dog maintains eye contact when child tries to speak
- The dog responds to verbal commands
- Adults and other children may engage with the the child by paying attention to the dog (also helps with social skills)
- An Autism Service Dog can also assist with emotional, behavioral and sensory challenges, and be with the person 24 hours a day. The dog facilitates sensory integration and calming, helping make melt-downs more manageable (many families cannot easily manage public outings without this method of calming the child). See our pages onpromoting empathy,the Service Dog as educational tool,the therapeutic effects of an Autism Service Dog , andextra benefits.
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