Study could prove whether human-animal interactions help with autism

Posted by Beth Finke on October 9th, 2009

A New York Times article this week reports that the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development will study the health benefits animals can provide to children. The article opens with a description of a yellow Labrador retriever who has been paired-up with an 11-year-old boy who has autism.

“Within, I would say, a week, …Read More » »

School fights family over autism assistance dog

Posted by Beth Finke on September 17th, 2009

The Associated Press reports that an Illinois family wants their 6-year-old son, who has autism, to be able to bring his dog along to school this year. The family said the dog would help with the transition to a new place and would also help keep him safe from traffic and other dangers. Service dogs are allowed in the …Read More » »

Horses and monkeys out, autism assistance dogs in?

Posted by Beth Finke on January 22nd, 2009

The New York Times featured an article about service animals in their Sunday Magazine on January 4. After the article was published, the writer (Rebecca Skloot) received documents that were leaked from the Department of Justice (DOJ). The leaked documents outlined some changes the DOJ is proposing to redefine service animals — all part of a major …Read More » »

Tell DOJ what you think about autism service dogs

Posted by Beth Finke on August 13th, 2008

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) that will expand the definition of “service animal.”

The new rules are meant to clarify what qualifies as a service animal — and to avoid confusion — when it comes to implementing the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). …Read More » »

More on autism service dogs

Posted by Beth Finke on August 6th, 2008

If you read my What do autism assistance dogs do? post, you know I was a little skeptical about tasks dogs might be able to do for people with autism.

But now, I have seen the light!

A well-written newspaper article about Nichelle Drew and her five-year-old son Kaleb, who has autism, helped me understand: autism assistance dogs can be …Read More » »

Autism assistance dog denied access

Posted by Beth Finke on May 27th, 2008

A news story about an autism assistance dog caught my attention last week. The story reported that four-year-old Jayden Qualls showed up at his California preschool with a new autism assistance dog and was denied access.

School officials said they need to determine if Houdini is a service dog or a companion dog. They also need more time to find …Read More » »