Autism Spectrum - how a dog can help

Service dogs, originally trained to assist physically disabled individuals with guidance, physical tasks, and medical alerts, have more recently begun to provide psychiatric assistance to individuals with conditions such as schizophrenia, and post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive, and—especially in children—autism spectrum disorders (also known as ASD or autism).

Children with autism may exhibit difficulty with verbal and/or non-verbal communication and social interaction. In some individuals, the condition may also drive repetitive actions or lead to restricted behaviours.

However, until now there has been little research to quantify the kinds of benefits children with autism spectrum disorder and their caregivers derive from their service dogs.

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