Autism service dogs are assistance animals that are trained to support individuals with autism. What makes autism service dogs different from similar animals, such as emotional support animals, known as ESAs, is that these animals perform specific tasks directly related to autism. These improve the safety, independence, emotional regulation, and daily functioning of individuals with autism, particularly children.
As for the specific tasks an autism service dog can perform, they vary depending on the handler’s needs, age, environment, and specific challenges. For instance, some autism service dogs are trained for children who may wander, bolt, or become overwhelmed in public, while others may assist teenagers or adults who experience sensory overload, anxiety, or shutdowns.
Therefore, there isn’t a single autism service dog task that benefits everyone with autism. Autism affects people differently, and there are various tasks dogs can learn to assist someone with autism. In this article, we will take a detailed look at autism service dog tasks to provide a better understanding of these highly trained and important animals. Read on to learn everything you need to know.
5 Most Common Autism Service Dog Tasks
We cover five of the most common autism service dog tasks below.
1) Deep Pressure Therapy
Deep pressure therapy is one of the most common autism service dog tasks. As stated by this psychiatric service dog guide, it is also a common task among all psychiatric service dogs. This task involves the dog applying gentle, firm pressure by lying across the handler’s lap, legs, or torso. This pressure can help someone with autism feel grounded during sensory overload, anxiety, panic, or emotional distress.
Deep pressure therapy makes it easier to calm the nervous system for people with autism and regain control after becoming overwhelmed. The dog may perform this task on cue or after recognizing specific patterns that indicate the handler is distressed.
2) Behavior Interruption
Another common autism service dog task is behavior interruption. Autism service dogs can be trained to interrupt harmful or repetitive behaviors by nudging the handler, placing a paw, licking, or leaning on them.
Unlike deep pressure therapy, however, autism service dogs do this mainly after recognizing specific behaviors. For example, an autism service dog may interrupt scratching, hitting, hair pulling, or other self-injurious behaviors. While it is a straightforward task, training a dog for behavior interruption requires planning and perfecting each step very carefully to ensure the future handler’s safety and well-being.
3) Tethering and Preventing Wandering
Tethering and preventing wandering is common among autism assistance dogs for children. This task involves the child being attached to the dog through a special harness, with an adult controlling the dog. Since the child is essentially tied to the dog, the harness prevents the child from wandering by bracing their body and resisting movement.
This task provides peace of mind to parents of autistic children by giving them enough time to intervene and prevent the child from running into traffic, crowds, or other unsafe areas.
4) Guiding to a Safe Place
Autism service dogs can be trained to guide their handler to a safe location or a trusted person. Some autism service dogs can take this a step further by taking their handlers to an exit or a quiet area. This task is helpful for autistic individuals who may become overwhelmed, confused, frozen, or unable to communicate.
This autism service dog task is particularly helpful in school and workplace settings. It ultimately supports independence by giving the handler a practical option to leave stressful situations before they escalate.
5) Creating Personal Space
Many autistic individuals struggle in crowded places, especially when people stand too close, touch them unexpectedly, or move around quickly. An autism service dog can be trained to create a physical buffer between the handler and other people in a non-threatening manner by positioning their body strategically.
This autism service dog task is particularly helpful for autistic individuals in elevators, airports, school hallways, lines, and other places where crowds of people may be present.
Autism Service Dog Tasks: Getting One of These Dogs
Now that you know all about autism service dog tasks, let’s briefly cover how you can get one of these dogs.
There are a few main ways to get an autism service dog. The first option is to apply through an organization that trains autism assistance dogs. These programs may provide fully trained dogs or match families and handlers with dogs that have already gone through training.
The second option is to work with a professional service dog trainer. This route involves buying or adopting a suitable dog and then training the dog, working with the professional, allowing the trainer to adjust training according to your needs, lifestyle, and circumstances.
The third and last option is self-training, which is legally allowed. However, considering how important autism service dog tasks are, it is best to work with a professional dog trainer to ensure there are no or minimal errors in training