It is nice for children to have a pet, if they are mature enough not to harm it. But I can't imagine what special training a dog could possibly have to specifically befriend an autistic child. Seems to me it would just be basic manners training you'd give any dog.
I preferred the pleasure of bonding with my pup by doing the training myself.
I just found a website for a place that trains "Service dogs" for "autistic children" in the US. Family pays $13,500.oo for a dog. Sheesh.
Apparently the advantage is that if a dog is labeled a "service dog" for a "disabled person", then under US law the dog can go with the kid anywhere, including into school. Lucky kids. I could never get away with that.
What are the service dogs supposed to do for the autistic children?
Also, am I the only autistic person who is phobic of animals?
(And who finds them just as confusing as NTs?)
What are the service dogs supposed to do for the autistic children?
From the two sites I read, it looks like basically the dog is supposed to just be there. I do understand how comforting and calming that would be. One of the sites talked about "tethering" the child to the dog at all times. Benefits listed at one of the sites were:
* Improve safety - prevent the child from leaving the home, etc.
* Teach Responsibility - provide basic care (feeding and brushing)
* Improve Social Skills - presence of the dog may help to promote socialization in ways that have not yet been possible
* Relieve Parental Stress
(Links broken, just in case.)
http://www.allpurposecanines .com/autismprogram.html
http://www.autismservicedogsofamerica .com/faq.htm
My Reply;
as an Autist, I can safely say this;
animals in general are good; they tend to be predictable, and less confusing than Neurotypicals (NT),
also, many of us...are not "trapped in our minds", many of us experience a greater mental freedom due to our being Autistic.
indeed, a great and growing number of people who are Autistic, be that LFA, HFA or Aspie, do not wish a cure, and oppose Autism Speaks in its efforts to remove Autism from the human gene pool.after all, you cannot "cure" a genetic condition, otherwise Sickle Cell Anaemia would have been removed long ago. the only way to cure Autism is to prevent it manifesting, and the only way for this?
yup, its the old "paranoid" pre-natal abortion crowd!
if your first instinct, upon learning that I wish not for a cure, but rather for acceptance, is to say "oh, well you are not a real autistic", then I would point you in the direction of Amanda Baggs.
as to my diagnosis?
age 7, Aspergers Syndrome.
suck it, doubters.
interested in debating with us, or proving us wrong?
www,aspiesforfreedom.com
Autism Speaks, but not for me.
Also, am I the only autistic person who is phobic of animals?
(And who finds them just as confusing as NTs?)
Hello,
I am canine-phobic, however I am not scared of other types of common house pets.
Will
The cost is still too high for most families. That is where those "cure" charities could better use their money, to buy dogs for kids who could use them.
I used to be afraid of the majority of dogs until I got one when I was eleven (he's a Golden Retriever). I had many bad experiences with dogs as a child and wanted little to do with them unless they were large (larger dogs tend to be less aggressive than smaller ones) and behaving very calmly. I never developed a full-blown phobia of them, though, because some of my neighbors had dogs that were very friendly that I enjoyed playing with.
I have owned cats for my entire life, and even though I own a dog now, I still prefer the company of my cats. I love most kinds of animals, though, and my house is like a zoo.
Cats often make good pets for children with autism too. Cats act somewhat Aspergic anyway - taking people on their own terms, they don't feign friendship. Even pet rats can be good for a somewhat older child. Although mice and guinea pigs are cute, they are generally not quite as robust as rats.
If you do get rats, the females are smaller and have softer fur than the males. Rats are actually cleaner than they are given credit for, washing themselves even more than cats do. The males are nice and fat but usually eat a bit more than the females.
It's best to get a pair (of the same sex) to keep each other company when they are not being played with.
A pet rat I had when I was younger mated with her father and had nine babies.
They'll certainly do that and they breed just like rabbits
I have a small dog (terrier/lhasa apso) and two tarantulas and I used to have a hermit crab and a crayfish. I also used to have hamsters and rats and goldfish. The pets I like most are the dog, the tarantulas, and the crayfish and tarantulas. My dog and I have a good bond, and I'm known to randomly say my dog's name (which is Rosie). I have a very cute picture of her tongue up against her nose (she was licking right when the picture was taken and it got pictured that way).
My dad works in a pet store (he got someone from specialty department to go to my third grade class to talk about crayfish!) and he says people there who are trained and know a lot about dogs say that you should wash your hands after petting a dog, even when it's clean, and that you shouldn't wash most dogs more than once every two weeks.
My dog is lucky if he gets washed once a year...
Washing human hair too often does the same thing. That's why you use conditioner. If you wash normal hair only every other day, you never need to use conditioner, except during the dryest parts of the winter.
Anyway, autism service dogs can be trained to do a lot. There's a 4 Paws for Ability group in my town that works with various dogs--usually bigger breeds; Golden/Lab mixes are popular--to be companion dogs for autistic kids. One thing they do is put a harness on both dog and child, put about a 6-foot leash between the two, and teach the dog to stay put if the child runs. That means that the family can go out to the mall, on walks, etc. without worrying that the child will run into traffic. For adults & older kids later on, the dog can act as a guide dog: If you're having trouble thinking fast enough at an intersection, the dog will stay put so you don't walk into traffic.
There's obviously the sensory aspect of the dog, too. Autism aid dogs have been taught to lie across a child's lap to help calm overstimulation. The child can be taught to give that command themselves. The warmth and feel of a dog's coat are also very calming; just petting a dog can decrease stress in completely typical people--for autistic people it's a lifesaver. Leaning up against a big dog can help you to feel where you are in space; that helps dyspraxia.
They're right about social interaction, but it's not just between people; it's between the autistic person and the dog. Dogs are non-threatening communicators; they won't put you down or call you names or refuse to invite you to their birthday parties; and they don't care if you look silly. Such safe social interaction can be a real boon to anybody who has to deal with a big, crazy world every day.