Autistic Child and Pets

One of my brothers is autistic. I wish that my folks could have considered a pet for him as he is very attuned to animals. He wouldn't care for one, but he loves being around them. He is marginally low functional and nonverbal.

I wouldn't place a herding type dog with a family with a special needs child unless they could show that they were really serious about making sure the dog didn't get lost in the shuffle. I remember what it was like and my BCs would have been on the back burner in the household I grew up in.

But I have placed a lab something mix (prob Aussie) - a pup I raised almost from birth (with his littermates), in a family with a child with autism - high functioning, verbal, but with something of a lack of focus. They got the dog as a pet, but soon figured out that the pup learned where the child was not allowed and would bark the alarm if he ventured away! That was pretty neat.

So it can work with the right dog. I'd definitely talk to people who place dogs with special needs children - even if they can't help they can certainly put them on the right track for their particular situation.

I did reference Canine Companions for Independence (CCI), Paws with a Cause (similar to CCI), and Delta Society.  I will reference these three sites to the family in addition to other suggestions.  CCI has a Chicago outlet so I called to inquire about the wash outs.  CCI says this family would be eligible for their program because the daughter is autistic and she is 6 years old.  The family needs to call (I have a name) and request an application packet, fill in the information, and send it back to the organization.  CCI would evaluate and approve the family for a service dog.  There is no fee involved, the family pays nothing.  But, the waiting list is 2 to 3 years.  For wash outs, the waiting list is even longer at 5 to 7 years.  I asked if the family wishes to buy a dog how much would it costs?  Over $10,000 and there are organizations out there that do that.  They did tell me if the family contacts them, they will assist, consult, and make referrals.

I should also add with under 16 other post lol

I have a sister who has Autism she's consider low-function, nonverbal & she also has Down Syndrome!

I personally belive that we are born with the same mind as other animals, and human society teaches us very quickly to speak only with words, and that if we believe we can talk to our animals, we are either over-empathizing with them, or just highly imaginative. As somone who never lost the ability (though, there have been times in my life- especially as a young teenager- when I did try to be "normal" and push it all out of my head) I can tell you that it's simply not true- we are all born with the tools to communicate with other species. Through conditioning as we grow, we simply bury those abilities in some dark corner of our brain and forget them

 
I find this fascinating and have had a couple of of those non-talk experiences with my Sibes...Is it body posturing, facial expressions?  Huskies tend to have some interesting facial expressions.  You can esp. see them with the blue eyes...
 
I do believe that dogs are good for people.  Depression, physically disabled, and  just as long as the people know/taught tender care of the furry guys.

I am no experienced special needs dog placer but I would think if the family was willing to take care of the dog and the dog was very child friendly I dont see a problem with that.
 
That dog could change that child's life forever.
 
And I doubt many families have the $10,000 to buy a dog for their autistic child. Not to mention the 2-3 year wait...
 
I do agree with the herding instinct though. Perhaps you could suggest a well trained lab?? Or GR?
 
It might be a good experience for them and a good way to break the communication barrier for them to have a dog they can all train together. Then again a herding dog might not be best..
 
 
 

My trainer also trains dogs specifically to be guide dogs for autistic kids. They go through 2 levels of basic obedience, then they go through a separate program to ready them for the therapy work. I can't really say what the details are unfortunately.... but I think it is not far off from seeing eye dog training. The families that take her dogs rely on them to assist the parents in keeping the child safe. It is definitely more training and temperament testing than your average family pet.

Another Aspie here (Mal is actually in training to be my future SD, mainly for panic attack help and reminding me to take meds)- and all I can say is, it *really* depends. As a kid, we didn't have dogs (we only had cats) and frankly, I liked them much better than people- mainly because they didn't do things I didn't understand. And a LOT of people have mentioned how much better I manage now that I have my dogs- I tihnk the last few months with Wings- who was almost ready to graduate from training to full SD when she died- were some of the best, functioning-wise, of my life- I wasn't afraid to go places with lots of people indoors, and I could handle places that were really stressful because I knew if I had a panic attack, she could find a door or a bench and keep people from getting in my space (nothing aggressive, but she'd body block.)

 I have placed a rescue dog (Collie x) with a family with a high-functioning autistic boy (autism is, for some reason, much more common in boys than girls). This dog was a middle-aged, very tolerent dog with fairly good obedience and excellent leash skills. (She was a DOLL. Her only issue was sneaking onto the furniture and whining when crated regularly- she was fine f it was in a car, or if it happened irregularly, but if you crated her for more than 4 hours, she wouldn't go intoo the crate on command the next time- I think it offended her dignity- as she wasn't the least destructive and respected baby gates, it wasn't really an issue. They didn't *need* an autism service dog or support dog- they just wanted a family pet that wouldn't be upset by their autistic son's occasionally strange behavior.

Honestly, I think evaluating the people just like any other is pretty much the way to go. If you like the home and feel that the parents have things well in hand (IE, are realistic about their son's capabilities AND the fact that the dog is not just a theraputic tool but a real living creature who needs to be removed from the situation (to crate or another room) if the son is misbehaving), they should be fine, even if this in't the right dog. And some herding dogs are GREAT- especially rough collies (who, in all fairness, don't have a ton of herding instinct as a whole)- but the dog I use to evaluate autistic kids in families who want a dog from me is Indy- my corgi- who has TONS of herding drive, but would never DREAM of herding a human. The more important thing is a dog who is stable, confident enough to be okay with weird behavior, calm enough to not get worked up about an overexcited or panicky kid (or teenager, or adult, for that matter), well-behaved, and social.

ORIGINAL: DPU

I did not realize how sensitive I was until this second occurrence.

This Saturday my foster Sassy and I are going on a home visit to meet a family interested in adopting.  They seem to be an all-American family, husband, wife, 2 children ages 4 and 6, large home, nice upscale community, etc.  Their 6 year old girl is autistic and they stated she is functional (if that has meaning to you) and attends kindergarten and afternoon sessions.  The family's doctor recommended a dog for the child to interact and bond.  The mother stated to me on the phone that based on the Sassy's profile and the conversation with me that Sassy would be a very good fit in their home.  I am honest and I do disclose all I know about Sassy and how she reacts in different situation.  I have had Sassy in my home for 3 months.  Sassy herds children on tricycles, is leash reactive when meeting other dogs and is ok when meeting dogs off leash, and she licks licks licks your face.  In placing dogs I also am responsible by questioning, observing, and talking with the family to assess their home situation.  I focus a lot on how the family is going to handle the transition of a new dog coming into their home.  I make a recommendation to the organization but I do not have the final say.  In Sassy's case, I have said no to families and with the other family that has an autistic child, the negative response was not because of the child.

Can you give me advice on how to differently measure this family, if I should measure them differently?  Can you give the family advice on the type of dog they should be seeking?  Can you recommend references for information purposes for both my side and the family's side?  I don't know the extent of research the family has done so I would like to be prepared before the visit.  Can you share any of your experiences?

To compound the situation, there is another family that is very interested in Sassy and we have a home visit on this Sunday.  In cases where multiple families are approved for adoption, one of the families gets disappointed and I hate when children are disappointed. 

Below is a picture of Sassy and her profile on Petfinders.
[linkhttp://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=6604030]http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=6604030[/link]

A family with a child that has a handicap needs a bombproof dog - period.  If there is any question in your mind that this dog would not be bombproof with children, then give her to the other family and explain why.  Kids need to learn about disappointment, even kids with disabilities.  Don't gamble with a dog's life for the sake of not disappointing someone.  Give the dog to the best home for her.  If it turns out that the child doesn't get this dog, maybe your advice would help them get a dog that is perfectly suited for them, even if they have to get it elsewhere.

ORIGINAL: dogslife

I personally belive that we are born with the same mind as other animals, and human society teaches us very quickly to speak only with words, and that if we believe we can talk to our animals, we are either over-empathizing with them, or just highly imaginative. As somone who never lost the ability (though, there have been times in my life- especially as a young teenager- when I did try to be "normal" and push it all out of my head) I can tell you that it's simply not true- we are all born with the tools to communicate with other species. Through conditioning as we grow, we simply bury those abilities in some dark corner of our brain and forget them

I find this fascinating and have had a couple of of those non-talk experiences with my Sibes...Is it body posturing, facial expressions?  Huskies tend to have some interesting facial expressions.  You can esp. see them with the blue eyes...

 
Well...no, it isn't really facial expressions and posturing, even though those things can be helpful. It's possible to communicate with your pets when you're in another room, or even across a pretty great distance- you can send each other thoughts no matter where you are. Often, people will be recieving messages from their animals without even knowing it- their brain interprets those images and thoughts as their own. Once you learn to differentiate between what is *truly* your own thoughts, and which are actually the thoughts of your pets, you can then start to send things back and forth. I could talk about this all DAY...but I don't want to hijack the thread so I'll just give  one quick example. When I got Ogre last month, he had ALOT of little issues. Because I was actually able to sit down and talk to him, we worked these things out in a matter of days, rather than having to go through months or trial and error and figuring out our relationship. When I got him home, he ignored me, and wouldn't speak to me. Through a series of gentle mental nudges...(I sent him pictures of me petting him, of me giving him treats, of us playing) he slowly began to open his mind up to me. At first, he was shocked that I was paying attention to him. Through pictures, he showed me that his old family had never spoken to him, petted him, or played with him. He showed me pictures of himself watching them through the windows of their house, and I had an overwhelming feeling of lonlieness and then he showed me how apathetic he became. And then, he showed me that he had escaped. He was VERY proud of himself for finally doing this and he then made it very clear that if I gave him the chance, he would run away from me too. He showed me all of this through mental pictures, seen through his eyes, accompanies by corresponding bursts of emotion. I then told him, through pictures and emotions, that I would not ignore him, force him to stay outside, and that I would always respect him and never treat him as anything less than an equal part of my family. He didn't really believe me, but eventually, I showed him that I was telling the truth and I can now trust him not to take off the first chance he gets if I happen to want to take him outside off leash. In this way, through talking things out and sharing experiences, we've managed to work out all of his problems together- even the seperation anxiety he started showing signs of shortly after I got him. He had ALOT of problems, and once he realized that I was open to him communicating with me, they all melted away. Within a week we were already very close, his problems were gone, and we are continuing to learn and improve together.
 
So yeah, that's generally how I do things with the animals I live with, and that's a very basic description I have of how I communicate with them. Alot of people don't believe in that kind of thing..but well, it's always worked for me. Sorry for the thread hijacking. []

A family with a child that has a handicap needs a bombproof dog - period.

Explain bombproof and would a dog that is certified as a Service Dog always qualify?  I need to know boundraries.

I'm chiming in here as someone who works with children with autism.
One of the children whose home I work in did get a dog earlier this year. I thought it would be a disaster, they got a beagle puppy from a petstore. They tried to get a dog from a rescue. They even paid someone who was supposed to have some connections for getting rescue dogs for families with special needs kids, and she was no luck. The particular child doesn't have any really violent behavior, he hits when excited, but not hard, and he doesn't hurt the dog. If the child does have violent behaviors, I would not put a dog there. Prior to getting the dog, he really didn't show much interest in dogs, but it is evident now that he really does love the dog(in learning names of family members, he picked up her's the fastest), and the dog loves him. He also shows much more interest in other dogs. Even if you decide not to place this specific dog with the family, I would like to urge you to try to work with them, and try to help them find the right dog. Some rescues wouldn't even speak to this family. Thanks for being fair and considering them just as you would any other family.
In looking at the dog's profile, most of it looks pretty good to me. I like that she is respectful of household items, so i'm hoping it means she won't take the kids toys, which may upset any little kid. I'd check to see that the child is ok with being licked by a dog. The boy I mentioned seems to love it, but I imagine some children would really not like that feeling. Also, the profile mentions she enjoys being chased. Would that extend to being chased by children? What about her chasing the kids if they run? Would she chase them if they took off running, and would the kids mind that? Again, the boy I mentioned loves to be chased, so it's actually a plus that the dog will chase him. I bet it'll be better when they get the fence in a few weeks. However, if that will upset this child, it's probably a bad fit. Also on the dog chasing kids on tricycles, is that going to be an issue? Do they ride them much? I would check out other things like that. Will the child be bothered by things the dog is going to do? I have to go though because Max is going nuts.

I just want to say in response to whoever mentioned a herding dog not being a good idea, I agree 100%.
Not for a first time dog.
Before this summer we stayed with my mom who has a bearded collie, my son could not STAND that dog.
He threw unholy fits and screamed whenever Sammy would herd him when the kids were playing with him. My son would start screaming and I'd run to find him standing on the couch in complete meltdown mode. And Sammy, just being a beardie, was standing there simply barking at him. Not in a mean way, in that herding dog way, you know.

I would share with the family that until their daughter gets used to having a dog, you wouldn't recommend a herding breed. But that's just my opinion and I could be completely wrong. I guess I just think of the typical herding dog as one that would be very invasive of the child's space and then if that happens, the child could react in such a way that would not be good for the dog or anyone involved.

We really got lucky with Ella.
She's calm and leaves the boys alone until they go to her to pet her or talk to her.

My son is not violent. He was always more self-inflicting than aggressive towards others.

Oh, and how I got my son more interested and involved with adopting Ella was, I allowed him to name her. That's how Ella became Ella Fitzgerald.

ORIGINAL: chewbecca

I just want to say in response to whoever mentioned a herding dog not being a good idea, I agree 100%.
Not for a first time dog.
Before this summer we stayed with my mom who has a bearded collie, my son could not STAND that dog.
He threw unholy fits and screamed whenever Sammy would herd him when the kids were playing with him. My son would start screaming and I'd run to find him standing on the couch in complete meltdown mode. And Sammy, just being a beardie, was standing there simply barking at him. Not in a mean way, in that herding dog way, you know.

I would share with the family that until their daughter gets used to having a dog, you wouldn't recommend a herding breed. But that's just my opinion and I could be completely wrong. I guess I just think of the typical herding dog as one that would be very invasive of the child's space and then if that happens, the child could react in such a way that would not be good for the dog or anyone involved.

We really got lucky with Ella.
She's calm and leaves the boys alone until they go to her to pet her or talk to her.

My son is not violent. He was always more self-inflicting than aggressive towards others.

Oh, and how I got my son more interested and involved with adopting Ella was, I allowed him to name her. That's how Ella became Ella Fitzgerald.

I would have to agree that I  would probably not suggest a herding dog in this situation, but I don't think I would suggest a herding dog to most people with young children, but there are exceptions. I think the boy I mentioned in the previous post might love being chased and barked at by the dog chewbecca mentioned, but I could be wrong. However, as long as I was sure the dog wouldn't nip or bite him, I think that type of a dog would be fine for him, and i'd at least bring the dog over for a test interaction. That probably wouldn't be good for most homes with young kids, but i'm sure there are a few others where it might work too.

Sassy is a very lucky girl.  In two and half months, Sassy had many inquiries that have lead to 6 home visits and now one more that is pending.  The organization said no to 3 families and 1 family said no to Sassy.  The number of inquiries is unusual and it shows to take people at face value but verify.
 
Sassy went on two home visits this weekend and they both went very well.  I measured each of the families by my standard in the best interest and the best home environment of the dog.  Each home lacked a backyard fence so the families have to be prepared and explain how Sassy would get the proper exercise she needs.  The organization has approved an adoption for families with no fence but takes into consideration the type of dog and it exercise needs.  What is important to me is the dogs security while outside and the dogs security when the dogs is left inside the home alone.
 
For the family that has the autistic child my home visit lasted 2 hours and opportunities presented itself so the family saw Sassy#%92s behavior in different situations (herding and leash reactivity).  The family did not do their homework and it was evident they lacked dog experience.  On their application they stated that during bedtime the dog would not be allowed in any of the bedrooms.  When I asked why, mom said she did want Sassy to favor any one family member.  Also, I do ask the family to spend alone time with Sassy by taking her for a walk without me.  I give them treats and instructed them that if anything should come up, they are to put that treat in front of Sassy#%92s nose and Sassy#%92s will give them her undivided attention.  At the end the walk and in my view, the family started running and dad lost grip of Sassy#%92s leash.  Dad chased Sassy and Sassy stayed around dad but out of his reach (Sassy was playing).  Sassy was in no danger of being off leash because she was in my view and I knew I had control of her at anytime with the Come command.  I observed how dad would handle the situation.   After continuing to chase and try to trick Sassy, he finally took out the treat and Sassy came to him.    
 
I presented the family with information on selecting a dog for an autistic child.  I took the comments from this forum and organized them in 3 categories:  from dog behaviorist/psychologist, from moms with autistic children, and from autistic child.  I also presented to them website and referrals that can help educate them and also provide consultation.  And also gave them a scenario of what I would do.  My intention was to give them a start on doing research.  I left them with instructions to review the material, visit the websites, and make some phone calls.  If they then wish to continue with the adoption then they should contact the organization.  I was disappointed because soon after I departed they contacted the organization and said they wanted to proceed with the adoption.  I am not sure how the organization will respond but I have provided my input.
 
Lastly, I do want to thank those that commented in this thread.  The different perspectives helped me get comfortable and be prepared in doing the home visit.  The comments by Pwca and spiritdogs centered me back to my responsibility.  Measure the family against my standard and choose the home that is in the best interest of the dog.

good job dave