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Autism dogs

What is an autism support dog?

Some specific examples include:

An autism support dog is a dog that supports children and young people with autism spectrum disorder in various ways. The dog helps them to feel safer and calmer, to become more independent, and to better develop their potential. As a result, the dog also has a positive impact on the whole family.

  • Bringing structure to daily routines
  • Helping to cope with new or stressful situations
  • Reducing stress and anxiety
  • Improving sleep
  • Reducing wandering behaviour
  • Interrupting repetitive behaviour
  • Increasing social contact
  • Encouraging regular outdoor activity through walks
  • Greater independence and confidence, such as when going shopping, on holiday or to school (this applies only to dogs with access rights)

What exactly does the dog do?

The mere presence of a dog creates a calming energy. But through touch, deep pressure therapy and the interruption of certain behaviours, the autism support dog also helps to ground their handler/bring a person back to the ‘here and now’. The dog learns a number of behaviours on cue tailored to the child or young person and therefore becomes a reliable partner in their daily life.

What options are available?

Scale Dogs offers three options to support children and young people with autism spectrum disorder:

  1. Autism assistance dogs
  2. Autism buddy dogs
  3. Workshops on how to involve your own pet dog

1. Autism assistance dogs

An autism assistance dog is a specially trained dog for children aged 7 and over and young people still living at home, with an officially confirmed diagnosis of autism. The dog provides support in daily life, both at home and in public.

What can you expect?

  • Scale Dogs provides intensive socialisation, upbringing and training for the dog.
  • Tailored team training during the placement of the dog. Together with our instructors and your family, the dog is trained to meet the needs of the child or young person. This team training takes place during office hours.
  • Official certification as an autism assistance dog following successfully completed team training.
  • Access to public places, with an official pass and accompanying harness.
  • High-quality and personalised support throughout the dog’s entire career.

We would like to emphasise that the parents remain responsible for the dog, its work and its welfare, always in close collaboration with Scale Dogs. The dog also remains the property of Scale Dogs.

2. Autism buddy dogs

A buddy dog primarily provides support within the home environment for children aged 7 and over and young people still living at home who have an officially diagnosed autism spectrum disorder. The focus is on companionship, calm, structure and emotional support.

What can you expect?

  • Scale Dogs takes care of the dog’s socialisation and basic training.
  • The dog’s placement with the family takes place under the supervision of our instructors, together with the child or young person and the parents, during office hours.
  • No official right of access to public places, as the dog is not a certified assistance dog.
  • Annual follow-up by an instructor.

Here too, the parents remain responsible for the care and welfare of the dog. The dog also remains the property of Scale Dogs.

3. Involving your own pet dog

Involving your own pet dog can often provide a sufficient solution to meet the needs of a child or young person with an autism spectrum disorder. We therefore offer PAWS workshops (Parents Autism Workshop & Support), in which we provide parents with practical help and information within a specific programme to enable them to get started on their own.

What can you expect?

  • Guidance and knowledge to help you find a dog that’s right for your family and your specific situation.
  • Tools to teach your own dog skills that could be beneficial for your child with autism.

No further support from Scale Dogs is included, and the dog cannot be recognised as an official assistance dog. This also means there is no right of access to public places. However, with this solid foundation, you can practise on your own and develop your pet dog’s behaviour in a targeted manner.

Are you interested in introducing an autism support dog into your family?

Does one of the options above appeal to you, and would you like to find out which solution suits you best? Then the first step for all applicants is to take part in our PAWS workshops. You can find all further information about these workshops and how to register here.

When places become available on our waiting list for an autism support dog (assistance or buddy dog), only those who have taken part in the PAWS workshops will be notified and given the opportunity to apply.

Do you have any questions about this process? You can always contact us at info@scaledogs.be.