April
7
Service Dogs for Children with Autism
Since the age of two, Riley O’Neil has had trouble with anxiety, transitions, and change. Riley’s anxiety caused her to have massive, unstoppable meltdowns that left her parents and her younger brother, Seth, exhausted and at their wits end.
After years of various therapies and treatments for autism, Riley had made tremendous progress, but her anxiety – her fear of failure and of standing out from others – had only intensified. When it was clear that what Riley needed more than anything was comfort in high-stress times, her parents, Michelle and Todd O’Neil decided to use Riley’s love of animals to their advantage and applied to get Riley a service dog.
Service dogs for children with autism is a field exploding with potential
Dogs are very sensitive to mood shifts and are generally able to quickly offer comfort. This seemingly small gesture can make a huge difference when kids with autism (or Asperger’s Syndrome, as in Riley’s case) need it the most.
The O’Neils needed to raise about $10,000 to get the dog – a sum that completely overwhelmed them. Within weeks of sharing with friends, family and neighbors, the O’Neils experienced another form of overwhelm when the money they needed to raise came pouring in. In one case, an elementary school student saved $10 to pitch in simply because he thought it was cool that Riley was going to be allowed to have her dog in school. There was a church – which the O’Neils did not attend – that passed the hat, raising several hundred dollars for the dog.
And then there was the blogosphere. Michelle announced her family’s intentions of getting a service dog for Riley to her online friends and added a Paypal button, so donations could easily be received. Much to her amazement, Michelle found that these friends all over the country – dozens of people she had never even met – not only opened their hearts to her family, they also opened their wallets. One blogger went so far as to set up a dinner party with autistic author John Elder Robison to raise money for the dog.
The O’Neils thought it would take about a year to raise the money. In reality, it took only a couple of months. Then the waiting started – what dog would the family get, and when?
Stay tuned, and you’ll find out.
April 8th, 2010 at 4:20 am
nice post. thanks.
April 8th, 2010 at 10:24 am
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April 11th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Animals are such wonderful friends to humans. A touching story. I am so happy, Riley is getting the service dog
Cress
April 13th, 2010 at 12:12 am
Excellent post, I think you need to post it more times to get the deserved audience. My daughter has special needs and only now are we thinking of getting a dog (we really needed to hear this at least 5 years ago)
April 15th, 2010 at 2:19 am
While there are cases where children (or adults) with autism can benefit from service dogs, there seems to abuse in the use. Service dogs are suppose to direcdtly benefit the person they are serving and that person is sppose to be able to control and command that dog. Parents expect the dog to care for and help the child. I understand that in some cases a service dog might be the right choice, in many I don't believe it is.
April 15th, 2010 at 2:26 am
CONTINUED DUE TO LENGTH RESTRICTIONS
Many people despise the ides of the tethers that attach to a child(many are backback like) but there isn't much difference between tethering to a dog. Also, no 2 year old is capable of fully understanding and controlling a dog. There may be some cases where a service dog may be warrented, but there are also many cases in which there are not. Just having autism (or any other condition) does not entitle one to a service dog. A person must be protected by the ADA which can be found online. I fully support the use of service dogs ( I almost had one myself but my condition progressed to the point I could no longer take care of the dog properly myself) but the situation and use needs to be fully understood and considered.
December 7th, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Try a different organization because there are organizations who are non-profit and don't make you pay that much, if anything. A service dog is a great tool and friend for a child with autism. I am a teacher and I use my therapy service dog in my classroom of autistic children. Do more research and find a different place. Treatments and medications are expensive enough, you shouldn't need to spend that much for something else too.