How can a dog help a child with Autism or other developmental disabilities?
Since most of the dogs we donate and train are partnered with children on the autism spectrum let me answer this question from the benefits I have seen emerge from those relationships. The term “social lubricant” has been used when describing the benefit that a dog can provide to an atypical child. When an atypical child has a beautiful and well trained dog with him it draws children to him or her. This creates an opportunity for the child to engage with typical children that he or she probably would not otherwise have had. Teaching the child standard answers to questions they might commonly be asked gives him or her the opportunity to become the center of attention and practice verbal communication skills. The therapy dog also serves as a source of comfort when the atypical child begins to become frustrated or begins to suffer from anxiety. Research has proven that petting or stroking a dog lowers the heart rate and can also reduce stress. Finally, a therapy dog serves as a constant c
