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PSD LIFESTYLE
Psychiatric Service Dogs: Children with Autism
by Shanna Hollingsworth (mother of an Autistic child)
Imagine for a moment that you are in locked in a crazy room where the lights flicker, ambient temperatures fluctuate, loud music blasts your ears, and strong odors overwhelm. This is how most Autistic children experience the world on a daily basis. They are dysregulated for sensory data processing, and all parts of one’s body and life are affected. 
Consider a child who encounters the world in this harsh manner taking a trip to the grocery store. Florescent lights, intercom systems, cold freezers, shopping carts, heated areas, a mob of people, some pushing strollers with crying babies, 3-dimensional cardboard displays, cash registers going ‘cha-ching’, and in every direction people talking ceaselessly without punctuation.
Whereas you and I may identify each sound source in a grocery store environment, and choose to tune-in to one, or the other, these same stimuli are all set to ‘LOUD’ for a child with Autism. Such a child cannot focus on one specific stimulus by tuning-out other sounds. Rather, he experiences a full-barrage of loud noises that assault his senses equally and with force. The audible roar confuses and disorients the child. He cannot remember where he is supposed to go, unless someone physically leads him every step of the way. A parent who is escorting such a child through a grocery store is truly challenged. The moment she bends down to remove a product from a shelf, or focuses on her pen as she writes a check, in a blink of an eye, the child disappears. “Where did he go?” Parental panic sets in. 
A Service Dog is valuable medicine for an Autistic child. My son’s Service Dog can locate him on a moment’s notice. She leads him, as would a guide dog for the blind, through the grocery store behind me and my husband. When our son has an ‘overload moment’ he has learned to sit on the floor and hug his Service Dog. This form of therapy termed, “Deep Pressure” is routinely administered to Autistic children. It calms them down from a frantic state. My son’s Service Dog provides him a focal point and being guided by his Service Dog seems to give my son a sense of direction. He no longer crashes into commercial displays and shelves; he walks through the store like an average person.
Autism produces a variety of symptoms many of which may be mitigated through use of a Service Dog. Rhythmic (repetitive) behaviors are a hallmark symptom of Autism. Even in high functioning children, such as my son, it can be nearly constant. Ostensibly repetitive behavior may seem like a harmless symptom, but how can a child make friends and feel normal when he can’t stop flapping his hands in front of his face? Service dogs may be trained to physically interrupt the child from engaging in these repetitive behaviors and re-direct their attention elsewhere. I have witnessed a significant reduction in the manifestation of rhythmic behaviors since the arrival of ‘Magick’, my son’s Service Dog. Another function that Magick provides my son is comforting touch throughout the night. This prevents several symptoms of Autism that would otherwise manifest such as, sleep walking, teeth grinding, night terrors, and insomnia. Functioning on a sound night of sleep serves to further reduce my son’s symptomology during the daytime. In the event of an emergency, such as a fire, I have no doubt my son would have difficulty evacuating safely even at home. I have witnessed him during fire drills; he becomes frenzied and cannot coordinate his mind or body properly. ‘Magick’ is a Newfoundland and can pull 2000 lbs! Thus, he will soon be trained to safely evacuate my son in the event of a fire. This is a valuable task that will provide my son a safety net even into adulthood. 
Service Dogs for children with Autism can also be trained to get help when it is needed, draw attention to a child’s name being called, keep a child from wandering into roadways, help find a child that is lost and lead him safely home. Furthermore, the therapeutic relationship that is cultivated between dog and child has the capacity to attenuate anger, aggression, and mood swings.
In a world that is frequently marked by criticism and loneliness a Service Dog can be a faithful loving companion. Magick provides a means by which my son may practice essential social skills. My son must make eye contact and enunciate clearly, in order to communicate with his dog. Magick also provides physical therapy for my son by helping him with motor coordination during feeding times, on daily walks and poop detail. Occupational therapy is realized through grooming, manipulating buckles, leashes and clasps. Importantly, he is always available when my son needs a hug. We chose a Newfoundland, because large dogs provide great “Deep Pressure” therapy. We also wanted a dog with intelligence, obedience, social skills, strength, and natural guardian/herding skills. Thus, we narrowed our choices down to the ‘Working Group of dog breeds such as, the Saint Bernard, Mastiff, and Newfoundland. For my family, the Newfoundland’s gentle, child-loving nature, and intuitive need to help was exactly what we wanted in a Service Dog. ‘Magick’ has helped my family appreciate the innate capacity of dogs to teach patience, compassion, altruism, and responsibility. These are dispositions that children with Autism often struggle with. I am confident that over time, ‘Magick’ will teach my son about caring and nurturing--skills that he will need to achieve a normal life. While some Autistic children have difficulty bonding or touching a dog, at least initially, we worked with our son in a patient manner, and he eventually caught-on. Service dogs for children with Autism represent an invaluable resource for cultivating independent living skills, something we did not think possible before ‘Magick’ came into our lives. Because of the love of his dog, my son’s horizons have been broadened and his future brightened. Indeed, Service Dogs can provide an Autistic child with a level of normalcy and freedom we never thought possible. For the first time, I am confident that my son has a chance at playing outside by himself, developing normal friendships, and quite possibly living an independent adulthood. Back to PSD Lifestyle | |
© 2008 Psychiatric Service Dog
Society
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