The Hampshire based charity Dogs for Autism was founded by a dog trainer, pet behaviourist and special needs schoolteacher, to focus on training, placing and supporting assistance dogs for autistic people.
Neurodiverse people vary as much as neurotypical people. However, they tend to share certain characteristics, such as extreme sensitivity to particular noises or other stimuli, which make navigating public space and everyday life a challenge.
The dog’s presence signals to the general public that a young person may have a disability or be different in a non-obvious way, which often makes them kinder and more supportive. Knowing they will get an early warning of an autistic meltdown from the dog makes it easier for an autistic person’s family to go out together and risk everyday things like visiting a shopping centre or a family trip to a park.
For an autistic person, a trusted canine companion brings security and confidence, and often a first taste of freedom.
Hilary Armour, CEO and founder of Dogs for Autism, explains the many levels on which an autism assistance dog can make a difference in an interview with Dogs with Jobs presenter Kate Fairweather.
Find out more about at Dogs for Autism.
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Hi. My son has a brain injury and. Very complex needs. As a family we are struggling and he doesn’t cope very well with the loss of our family dog. I am intrigued to know how children qualify for therapy dogs as I feel it would be beneficial for my little boy as his social needs are becoming worse. If you could point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated. Abi
Hello Abi,
Thanks so much for listening. I’m sorry you’re struggling as a family – and that your son is missing your family dog. Family pets generally have such a positive effect on everyone’s wellbeing and are missed terribly. Therapy dogs are not trained assistance dogs, but are often family pets with a supportive personality. It’s worth reading around this and the possibility of rescues or rehomes, as it sounds as though a puppy might be too demanding to add to the mix at the moment. You can hear an interview with the excellent charity Pets as Therapy, which deploys volunteers and their dogs into schools etc, but it’s worth asking about individual visits as all dogs and their owners visit on a voluntary basis and you never know.
Trained assistance dogs are a specialised area, but there are charities that can help with the placement of a dog with a child partner, in a family setting – as you’ve listened to here, Dogs for Autism is one and there are several others, like Dogs for Good and Support Dogs, which trains disability assistance dogs. It is possible to train a family pet as an assistance dog – if you listen to Daisy the autism assistance dog on Dogs with Jobs you will hear that was what my interviewee did with her son’s first ever assistance dog. All the assistance dogs options entail an application process and placement is unlikely to be quick. I wish you and your family the very best and hope this is helpful.