People have been assisted by dogs to overcome all sorts of conditions, impairments, and disabilities. One specific area that has a unique assistance dog experience is the world of children with autism and their assistance they receive from their furry friends.
In comparison to guide dogs for the blind, whose primary function is to assist with guiding the bling throughout their day, a service dog that assists autistic children needs to be there to provide emotional support for the child.
The service dog provides a reassurance and comfort to the child that acts as a companion when things get to a challenging stage of sensory over-load for the child. Autistic children often suffer from the inability to extract all the environmental sensory inputs, meaning that they are unable to process all the sensory stimulation they receive all at once. Having a service dog on hand allows them to focus and control their passage of thought, making it easier for them to remain calm when they are feeling stressed.
Children with autism are often unable to understand the concept of their influence on the outside world and their own concept of personal safety, making them unaware of the dangers involved in walking into a road without checking for oncoming traffic. Using a service dog as the tether point for the child provides them with a concerned companion that will always be looking out for them.
Dogs have the natural ability to define dangerous situations and they can be trained to react to these situations with certain actions. In our example above, the dog can be trained not to allow the child access to the road and to deter the child from entering a dangerous situation. This is achieved by providing the child with pressure and touch intervention as well as mobility assistance to prevent injuries or dangerous behavior that may inflict self-harm.
Autistic children have a unique concept of the world and they need a service dog that is uniquely trained to their mental disability. Dogs do not care about a person that never grows up, they are quite happy and comfortable to be around children 24 hours a day for their entire lives, their unconditional emotional attachment to their owners makes them an ideal companion for an autistic child that adds value and quality to their lives.
People with Autism already live in a world that does not understand them any more than they understand their own environment, however, a trained service dog that knows what to expect from an autistic child, bears no judgement against them, only love and adoration, making them the ideal life companion and trusted friend, developing a relationship and bond with their child that will last for many years to come.
The trained service dog can provide a connection between a child suffering from autism and the outside world around them. A service dog sends a message to all around them that this child is not spoiled or throwing a fit, they are simply children that require different levels of attention to us and a service dog is a perfect way of subtly conveying this point across to the world.
The benefits of these animals and their impact on the children is openly evident to anyone that sees the dogs in action and the smiles on the faces of the children that they love.
To find out more please don’t hesitate to visit http://iservicedog.com/ why not check out some of their vests here or registration is as easy as 1 2 3 here. Have a service dog and want to write about your experience? Then they want to hear from you here. Of course if you have any questions at all then please don’t hesitate to get in touch with one of the team who will be more than happy to help.