Psychiatric Service Dogs For AS

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Yes,I know I've done a topic like this before,and I know that someone else has done a topic like this,too.

However,this one is a little different.

First of all,a Psychiatric Service Dog is a dog trained to assist a person with a mental illness or the like. Yes,you can take them into public places with you. To find out more about PSDs go to http://www.psychdog.org .

There is a special kind of Psychiatric Service Dog now called an Autism--or Asperger's--Assistance Dog. Most of the time they are called Social Therapy Dogs,but alot of people call them Autism/Asperger's Assistance Dogs.

They are usually used for children that have lower fuctioning forms of autism,and alot of these kids have a third recipient--a parent/guardian.

The PSDs are usually for older people--16 & up--that have other problems besides Asperger's or Autism.

My question is this: Do you think that AS people or HFA people could benefit from these dogs?

-SpaceCase

Outside of having a dog for companionship, and giving the dog special rights, so it can travel with you, go into stores, etc... it seems it really wouldn't help anyone with just AS and wouldn't help most that have autism. In fact, one hopes the dog is well trained, as some autistic actions may encourage improper actions from the dog.

yeah, um. Why would you need a service dog if you had asperger's??? Need a wheelchair or one of those hoverounds or maybe handicapped placcards for your car? Or maybe a special computer to read to you?

Man up, nancy.

The dog I have know will do just fine.

Not a service dog, but he's a good firend.

...

What exactly would the dog do?

For AS? No. For low functioning Autism? Maybe.

You need to shut up. My disability is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. I think I need help,and I KNOW that a dog can help me through this. Asperger's dogs can help people that NEED help. Not everyone that has AS/HFA needs one. And besides I have more than one diagnosis.

You sound like one of those Aspies that blames "NTs" for ALL thier problems and thinks they can get away with anything just because you have AS.

YOU man up.

And learn how to f*cking spell.


-SpaceCase

make up your mind. Is it for AS or not?

What'd I misspell? Oh, damn. Did I put an extra c in there? Nuts. Now I need a dog to help me spell.

...and they say that people with AS have a hard time expressing emotion! Good job! Did your dog rile you up?

WOW spacecase,

digger1 does this quite a bit. They were reasonable questions though.

I am kind of curious as to how the dog would help you. I just want to find out about different peoples needs, etc... It would be interesting to see what AS affects and how. also, I might find something more about myself.

You usually seem fairly happy, have a cheerful avatar, and ask a LOT of questions. Hopefully you don't mind ME asking a few.

BTW forgive any mispellings. It is late, etc...

I have one. His name is Ike, he's an English Mastiff, weighs about 160 pounds or so. He'll fill out some more, he's young. People cross the street when they see him. He's good for giving me space. Keeps the people away from the door, too.

Not exactly what you meant I'm sure. But having been into dog training, they are a remarkable animal. I could see a use. I think it might be more of a personal need, as it should be. We do come in all sorts of needs, some which are difficult to do.

I do recall one young man, many years ago, fully Autistic. Just the process of his training of his Sheltie was a good experience for him. At least as much as we could tell he liked it, he did not miss a chance to be there. We some times wondered who was training whom, she could anticipate Tim very well. That Sheltie would have given her life for Tim. That he loved that dog, there was no doubt.

yeah, there's a dog to help bring an autistic kid out of his shell and open up and be his friend or whatever but having a dog as a service animal in a store and stuff? That's going overboard and would just serve to shout "LOOK AT ME! I HAVE A DISABILITY!"

Shut up already, digger, there's no need for your kind of posts.

No they weren't. Don't fool around.



What are they normally supposed to help with? What do you expect, or hope that a dog could do for you?

OK. Here's my "AS guide dog" then. His sole purpose is to keep folks at a distance, and prevent them from trying my patience.

I talked to someone once who had a dog that would remind her to do laundry and would help her take it from the washer to the dryer and all... if it was something like that, then I would love it, as I often look at my pile of clothes and ignore it when I don't have someone to nag me to do it, lol.

If I lived alone, it might be nice to have a dog that could go with me to places as some sort of familiarity.

I know of a family that just got one of these dogs. The boy it is for is 5 or 6 years old, but he is classic autism, I don't know everything the dog does for him, but I do know that he carries things for him, helps to open doors, and the dog does sleep with him and this is supposed to provide some sensory stimulation for him to help keep him calm. I have talked to the mom and she says the dog has been really great, it also provides some companionship for the boy that he doesn't always get from other people.

I also am curious to know what a dog like this would do for someone with AS who is higher-functioning!

I have a hard time remembering meds for one. (yeah I know set an alarm, but I have to remember to do that too) Some here can't read faces well, dogs very often greet people at doors and know when they're up to no good. Any body that has marked one of us, might well think twice with a dog around. Do you have any idea how many of our Aspie sisters have been raped? More then a few. Now does it really fit into the Service Dog category? I don't know as it matters. It's just another label, however, it might be fine if you felt the need for a dog in a store for example. Perhaps a little research on what dogs can be trained to do might help for some insights.

The branch of dog training I was interested in was for working dogs. But a side was just plain obedience training for those that didn't want to take it that far. Schutzhund was the type of training and we had Doberman Pinschers and a Giant Schnauzer. Some in the group went on to be top rescue dogs.

Side note after reading the Wikipedia entry for Schutzhund. I see they've changed it some since I was involved, which was in the 70's. Something they didn't note, just for trivia Judges are paid in local wine and cheese. It's just a tradition as judges and dogs are often flown in, hardly a trade-able item for paying air fare. Money is involved but the tradition continues.