Daniel is a very captivating 7 year old boy, who is affected by the neurological disorder Autism. He is non-verbal and doesn't consistently understand or respond to the words "stop" and "no". He has no fear or understanding of danger.
A Service Dog would help Daniel by responding to impulsive running by retrieving Dan and herding him back to his family. The dog can interrupt such behaviors as "stimming" (repetitive behaviors common to autistic children), pica (a disorder where one eats things that are not food, such as dirt or chalk) or self-harming. The dog can be taught to crawl on Dan's lap to calm him during his frequent night awakenings and mood swings. The dog can alert our family when Dan tries to escape the house or yard. Autism service dogs have been shown to "bring out" socially isolated children.
A Service Dog could help Dan make more progress with communication. Daniel has a great need for consistency twenty-four hours a day. He would benefit from a Service Dog, as this would be the constant he could take wherever he goes. An Autism Service Dog would be a loving companion, which would give him security and safety, alleviate his anxiety and give him the ability to generalize to all situations. Daniel’s family can count on the dog to be another set of eyes for us to help keep him safe and a warm body for him to snuggle up to when he needs it.
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