Dogs and Autism by Annie Bowes

Author:Annie Bowes [Chuck]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Future Horizons
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Service animals are allowed into restaurants, and since they are well behaved they usually lay down and wait for their owner. They do not beg for food and they ignore other patrons. A restaurant owner may not challenge the person’s disability, but they can ask if the dog is trained to perform a certain task and what that task is, which, in a sense, describes the disability. The response “he helps me calm down” is not acceptable. The dog has to be trained to a specific task recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act or it is not a true service animal. The task can be simple; for example, the Great Dane that braces for his owner when he is unsteady on his feet, like a walking crutch, or the peanut alert dog that may save its owner’s life by circumventing exposure.

Service Animals can be very expensive, especially those assisting the blind. They are trained for years and are highly intelligent. Their person’s life may be dependent upon their skills, and they have to be 100 percent trustworthy at all times. A service animal has a very serious job and is not to be taken lightly. Service animals do exist for those on the autism spectrum when the degree of impairment qualifies as a disability. Those dogs have been carefully selected and conditioned to accept severely polar emotional outbursts and overwhelming anxiety that can cripple their person. They are trained to be very tolerant and steady in the face of unpredictable reactions that interfere with daily life.

The jacket a service dog wears does not qualify it for the job. Those vests can be ordered online for any dog of indeterminate size and disposition, no doubt lacking the credentials to warrant it. I’ve seen snarling Chihuahuas with those jackets—since when is a Chihuahua capable of performing the duties of a golden retriever as a service animal? What, exactly, could it be trained to do that would mitigate a disability recognized by the ADA?

For most of us on the spectrum, we don’t experience limits in life’s activities, it’s the social spectrum where we struggle. If anything, we would qualify for an emotional support animal.

An emotional support animal is not granted as many special privileges by law, though that may be changing. To qualify for an emotional support animal, a physician must recognize and diagnose a psychological condition, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or another anxiety disorder, and prescribe a pet companion for emotional support. Physicians have long recognized that pet companionship has unprecedented benefits for those suffering from anxiety, bipolar syndrome, depression, and occasional suicidal thoughts. They concede that a person is not alone if they have a pet and, therefore, they will have fewer distressing episodes and thoughts while caring for their pet. By actually prescribing a companion, physicians ensure that its benefits are truly taken seriously. That companion is usually a dog, but it can be a cat or other household pet. It is usually a pet the person already has, or intends to acquire, and it is not specifically trained.

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