# Autism SD for an Adult



## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

With so many videos out there promoting tether dogs it is nice to see one with a trained service dog at work for a change. This was posted on another forum that I Mod at.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwPIgChIChE

The one thing I don't like is seeing the dog on an escalator - it makes me worry. I have a friend that says sometimes there is no choice.


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## FuryanGoddess (Dec 26, 2009)

My son has Asperger Syndrome, a mild form of Autism. While I don't believe he would require a SD, it's nice to know that it is an option for him if things were to change in the future. Who knows what will happen when he hits puberty. *shudder*


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Hi Fury

Just wanted to give a bit of encouragement. I'm an adult with Asperger's Syndrome, diagnosed in my late 30's. Life can be a challenge, but I work and live independently, and couldn't imagine not doing so. I know there is a wide spectrum of functionality among Asperger's people, but it is not neccessarily as restrictive as many people believe. 

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or just want to talk about something.


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## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

My 24 year old son has Aspergers. He lives at home , has a job, functions very well, but does not like things to change. The teenage years were a bit rough but I homeschooled him and for us that worked as he did not fit in well in jr high and high school. He does not need an SD but the puppy ( APBT) he begged me to let him keep when he was 18 made a huge difference in his life. I was very afraid of how he would cope when the dog passed after being neutered in July due to unsuspected hemophilia. My son just sat in his room for weeks drawing pictures of the dog. I adopted Annie, another Pittie for him, and he is very focuses on caring for her now, which has helped a lot, but he probably will never get over losing his Chopper. I do worry what will happen to my son when DH and I are not around but his two brothers and sister have all made a pact to look out for him. I think I may have a form of Aspergers too although never diagnosed. I see so much of me in my son


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

I have some nice articles written by some of my friends with Asperger's Syndrome in one or two of my non-profit's newsletters. If any of you would like a copy emailed to you just send me a PM with your email addy. I'll have some more in future copies also ...


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

This is remarkable. For a distracted owner dealing with sensory overload, the stability of a dog guiding must be a relief among what seems like too much chaos. Nice to see this dog and handler team. I agree with you though TJ, escalators have always been highly controversial. Even with excellent training, just one brief moment on the dog's part of relaxing/being distracted, a drifting toe or toenail can get nabbed, pinched, dragged under. Very nice to see a dog helping a disabled handler navigate the maze and sift through the stimuli for the handler, to get the handler where he or she needs to go. Thanks for posting the vid, TJ!


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## FuryanGoddess (Dec 26, 2009)

Thanks everyone. So far, my son's issues are very slight. Mostly social and he has ADHD, which is posing the most issues. He's impulsive more than anything. Can't keep still, has to touch and talk all of the time. The only thing that keeps his focus is TV and video games. Drives my hubs crazy because they are so opposite, they're the same, you know. Joe doesn't like TV or video games, but they would rule Shane's life if we let them. Joe is focused on cars. We think he might have a touch of AS also. 

Biggest issue my son has is he is LAZY.... SOOO VERY LAZY. He doesn't want to try at anything. It's frustrating. 

It's nice to see others here w/ this issue so if I have any questions, I can get good insightful answers.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

FuryanGoddess, wishing good things to you and your son in dealing with his condition. You have lots of courage. Thanks for sharing your experience with him!


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

Small world for sure - I just found out that "I know" via the Internet the team in the video.


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## Vinnie (Sep 4, 2001)

Having worked with children with autism & aspergers, I've known about service dogs for them a long time. In fact, we use to have a member (Gail) who trained these dogs. Her son had autism and at one time I interviewed her and had the interview posted to my website (before geocities closed). I think she runs a yahoo group for autism service dogs.

It's amazing what these dogs can do for a person with autisum.


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## 3K9Mom (Jun 12, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: ILGHAUSThe one thing I don't like is seeing the dog on an escalator - it makes me worry. I have a friend that says sometimes there is no choice.


Eeek. I know! There were stairs right there, so this was the handler's choice. But there are definitely times when I wander around for a long time before I finally find an elevator. 

Makes me







for those who use wheelchairs or other assistive devices and simply can't use escalators or stairs ever.









It's a great video. Thanks for posting.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

> Quote: It's amazing what these dogs can do for a person with autisum.


Yes, I know of quite a few people with autism who use SDs to assist them. They are of such value that it is a shame that the general media and even many sites on autism seem to just promote tether dogs for young children. _(My feelings on tying a young child to a dog is another topic.)_

I would like the public to become more aware of what these trained dogs can do for their handlers. 



> Quote:we use to have a member (Gail)


I remember Gail and use to have some late night discussions with her on this site. I think I even posted a couple of times on her Yahoo! site.


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## Lin (Jul 3, 2007)

What is wrong with escalators? Is it the danger of the dog getting something caught? I took Tessa on an escalator once, we were far away from the elevator (was at the other end of the building) and I decided to take the escalator more for the purpose to make sure Tessa would try it if I asked. She was hesitant to step on but only paused for a second. I wouldn't take her on one again unless I had to, but it was nice knowing she would trust me on asking her to step onto it.


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## ILGHAUS (Nov 25, 2002)

There have been cases of a dog getting a nail, toe, or pad caught in the slots on the step or in the breaks between the steps when they are in the flat position. It would be like if you were to stick a finger in one of these areas and it got stuck. 

There are emergency stops on an escalator but they are only located at the top and the bottom. Someone would have to know where they are located and be close enough to stop it quickly but even by then major damage could already have been done. 

So this is just something to keep in mind if you take your dog on an escalator.


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