Improving comfort, safety and confidence for children and families living with autism.
If you have a young child with autism, bringing a pet into your home or out into the community on social outings may seem like a stressful addition to your circumstances. In fact, an Autism Assistance Dog can provide a sense of calm and assurance: both for you and your child.
Autism Assistance Dogs are carefully trained to provide independence, peace of mind, and to support your child to feel comfortable, safe, and confident in the community.
Along with a loyal and thoroughly trained Autism Assistance Dog for your child, the program includes training and support for you as parents.
During social outings in the community, Autism Assistance Dogs are connected to your child by a therapeutic attachment and connected with you through a standard lead.
In any event where your child might wander off or run away, the dog is trained to calmly lay down and act as a supporting anchor. With the added time, you can intervene and handle the situation.
Beyond their stabilising support, Autism Assistance Dogs promote positive social interactions and support your child to develop skills for participating in the community.
Families living with Autism Assistance Dogs have also reported:
Autism Assistance Dogs are trained to partner with children who:
There are some additional criteria for you as parents or carers, which we can discuss throughout your application.
Please note the program is currently only offered in South Australia. You can contact your local Guide Dogs to find out about other Therapy Dog programs that may be of interest.
Once accepted into the program, one or both parents must commit to a five-day in-house course at a local Guide Dogs Centre. A subsequent three-week intensive training program is conducted, with your child, at your home.
Autism Assistance Dogs can go anywhere and have the same legal access rights as Guide Dogs. Autism Assistance Dogs are clearly identified by their body coats, which provide awareness of the dog’s special circumstances and support public access and inclusion.
Let’s get started. Where will you access this training and support
Experiencing a change in vision can mean adjusting to a new way of understanding the world. It can be difficult, but we’re here to support you through every step.
Specialised support for parents or carers and their children, from birth through to seven years of age, who have partial vision or blindness.
Discover our Dog related services and support – including Therapy Dogs, Companion Dogs, Facility Dogs & Autism Assistance Dogs.
