[nagdu] Dogs for autism

Wed Aug 28 18:54:59 UTC 2013

Thanks Jewel for forwarding this very interesting and well-written article.
Learn something new every day.
Tracy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jewel" <herekittykat2 at gmail.com>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 2:35 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dogs for autism

> While I didn't find the answers we were seeking at the CCI website, I
> did a bit of research on this topic. I found a great description at
> Service Dog Central.
> Source: http://servicedogcentral.org/content/node/214
>
> When considering what kinds of tasks to teach a service dog for an
> Autistic person, it is important not to get hung up on the concept of
> an all-purpose 'Autism service dog' but rather a dog specifically
> trained to mitigate the individual problems that a specific person
> experiences as a result of Autism. Autism is a spectrum disorder, and
> no two Autistic people will have precisely the same difficulties or
> strengths. Also, because Autism is a developmental disability, the way
> in which it affects the person will change over time, most noticeably
> in childhood and adolescence, but in adulthood as well. Autism may be
> frequently diagnosed in childhood, but it is a lifelong neurological
> condition.
> While Autism itself is no longer considered to be a psychiatric
> disability, it is a neurological disability that affects the way a
> person thinks and processes sensory information. Many Autistic people
> also have dyspraxia, which affects both fine motor and gross motor
> skills. Thus, people familiar with other types of service dogs will
> recognize tasks that are frequently taught to dogs trained to assist
> those with visual, hearing, mobility, and psychiatric disabilities.
> Remember, the dog is there to help the person, not the disability. It
> is also important to remember that a dog should not necessarily be the
> first choice in mitigating a difficulty that a person has, nor is it
> usually the easiest, best, cheapest, or most flexible solution.
> Generally, the purpose of a service animal for any disability is to
> replace dependence on human assistance, not on properly used assistive
> technology.
>
> Sometimes alarms and timers alone are not sufficient for an Autistic
> person who has trouble processing sensory information or who becomes
> panicked in emergency situations. For example, a person may have
> difficulty in responding to a traditional alarm clock. For most
> people, simply getting a louder alarm clock, or a bed-shaking alarm
> clock such as those used by the deaf and hard of hearing may be
> sufficient. If these technological solutions do not work, a dog may be
> taught to respond to the sound of the alarm by touching the handler,
> by removing the blankets from the bed, or perhaps by switching on the
> light. It is possible to train a dog to wake a person at a specific
> time of day, however this limits the handler to only getting up at
> that time of day, which is problematic when one considers travel to
> different time zones, daylight saving time changes, waking from naps
> or schedule changes due to changes in a person's job or work schedule.
> A dog may also be trained to lead a person to other kinds of alarms,
> such as timed pill dispensers or kitchen timers--some Autistic people
> may become distracted while cooking and forget that something is
> cooking, resulting in ruined food or possibly a fire. Another
> situation in which a dog may be trained to respond to an alarm is in
> the case of a smoke alarm. Many Autistic people are sensitive to loud
> noises and may become disoriented. A dog can be trained to respond to
> the alarm by waking the person if the alarm goes off when the person
> is asleep, and once the person is awake, leading the person out of the
> building.
>
> Another group of tasks which are related to the previously mentioned
> task of leading the handler out of the building in response to a smoke
> alarm are the leading and guiding tasks. It is important to remember
> that dogs are not Lassie or Rin Tin Tin, they have limited abilities,
> they are not human beings in fur coats, and one must remember the
> limitations of a dog's senses and mental ability. With guide dogs for
> the blind, the dog's job is to lead the handler around obstacles in
> the handler's path, stop at doorways, curbs, stairs, and drop-offs,
> and occasionally to find specific types of objects such as doors and
> staircases. The dog is told when to turn right, turn left, or keep
> going straight ahead by the handler. At all times, the handler must be
> aware of the surroundings and know where the team is and where they
> are going. Although dogs can become habituated to familiar routes
> (this is known as 'patterning' in the guide dog world) and may not
> need the handler to direct every turn, it is not reasonable to assume
> that a dog can learn a large number of routes on autopilot. The dog is
> there to provide information to the handler, and the handler makes the
> decisions on what to do about that information. The same should be
> true of a dog partnered with an Autistic person who has difficulty
> processing spatial information and may have trouble navigating through
> space using visual information. Another type of guide work is really a
> form of tracking, such as is used by search and rescue dogs. A dog may
> learn to back-track on the scent trail of the team to get the team to
> the exit of a building, or perhaps to lead the team back to a familiar
> place should the team get lost while out walking.
>
> Another concern some Autistic people have is remembering to bring
> vital objects with them when they leave the home, such as shoes or
> other clothing items, keys, wallet, etc. There are two ways to
> accomplish this. If a person uses checklists as a management
> technique, but has difficulty remembering to use the checklists
> themselves, the dog can direct them to the checklist if it is placed
> in a prominent place. The dog may also fetch the objects if they are
> kept in the same general area, and direct the handler to the objects
> before exiting. The dog could be taught to find and retrieve the
> objects by scent, although this is limited to objects that have a
> distinctive odor and if the object was left in an area that is
> accessible to the dog.
>
> Previously discussed in this document was responding to the sound of
> alarms. Other sound response work may also benefit an Autistic person.
> The dog may be taught to signal the handler to the sound of the
> handler's name if the handler has auditory processing difficulties, by
> a tactile signal and by looking in the direction from which the sound
> came so that the handler knows who is trying to get his or her
> attention. The dog may also be taught to respond to the sound of a
> doorbell, telephone, etc. and lead the handler to the source of the
> sound.
>
> A dog may also be taught to signal the handler of specific
> self-stimulatory repetitive behaviors ('stimming'), particularly if
> the behavior is physically harmful or may cause extreme social
> problems. It is important to understand that most self-stimulatory
> behavior has a specific cause and that the extinction of all stimming
> may be impossible or even harmful to the well-being of an Autistic
> person. Therefore, it is probably best to limit interruptions and
> signals that truly put the handler at risk of physical harm, such as
> head-banging or skin picking.
>
> A dog may also be trained to find specific family members in the home,
> whether to summon assistance, or to carry notes, particularly if the
> handler has speech difficulties.
>
>
> On 8/28/13, Michael Hingson <info at michaelhingson.com> wrote:
>> Have you checked out www.cci.org?  You may get answers there.
>>
>>
>> Best,
>>
>>
>> Michael Hingson
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Star Gazer
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 10:14 AM
>> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
>> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dogs for autism
>>
>> So would I. The terminology sounds so vague, "the dog keeps the person 
>> from
>> getting lost" How exactly? "the dog calms the person" Again, how exactly?
>> I'd be very interested to know more.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
>> Sent: Wednesday, August 28, 2013 11:06 AM
>> To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
>> Subject: [nagdu] Dogs for autism
>>
>> Mike, or anyone, you said you'd been to CCI and heard about dogs trained 
>> to
>> help autistic children.  I'd be real interested to know what they do.
>> Often
>> what I hear makes them seem like emotional support animals, with their 
>> only
>> training being basic obedience and house manners.  That seems like a scam
>> to
>> me, to charge a family thousands of dollars for a dog that any competent
>> trainer could pick out at the shelter and train fairly quickly.  So I'd
>> really like to know what these dogs do, task-wise.
>> Tracy
>>
>>
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