Engaging an Autistic Child - a Parent's Case Study

This story is based on a real case, and we have changed the names in order to maintain privacy.

We all love our children and want the best for them. When you see your child not coping with outbursts, anger and anxiety you search for answers. Susan had done just that. She had tried countless therapies and had seen little or no results. So, she just kept trying to find something that would engage her autistic child.

Susan had seen Canine Comprehension dogs at school and had also seen how her child had engaged with their cat at home. This made her curious. Could this help with the anger, outbursts and anxiety?

She spoke with Canine Comprehension to see if they thought they could help. She had heard about therapy animals, but what surprised me was the depth of the qualifications that each tutor and dog comes with. She didn’t realise that there were qualified professionals that could put together such a comprehensive program to help.

Susan decided to try one session and see for herself. This is where Canine Comprehension started to stand out. Once the session had been booked in, they prepared by asking questions to understand her son’s triggers, likes and dislikes. The comprehensive approach impressed.

"I felt great about my choice and when I saw it with my own eyes, what they could do with my son ... It's incredible."

Through working with her child Susan has seen them continue with this comprehensive approach. The visits are planned whilst working alongside the family and the other’s in her child’s care team. They create diaries of each session so that there is communication across the team of what is being worked on.

It has been 3 terms of working with Canine Comprehension and the outcomes are impressive. This is truly the highlight of her child’s week and Susan has heard him explain what happened in a session with Barney. He doesn’t do this with any other school-based activity. His relationship with the dog and the tutor makes him happy and he has felt comfortable to share problems with the Canine Comprehension team and he hasn’t been able to do this with others. This has had such a profound impact on his anxiety and outbursts. His relationship with the tutor and dog makes him feel special and this has led to an improvement in his relationship with others at school, at home and with his care team.

“I didn't really believe how much the dogs could play a part in the therapy.”

For Susan, she has seen these sessions have a real and incredible impact with her child with lower anger and anxiety and they have been able to work on social skills and school work with the team from Canine Comprehension. But to her, the biggest outcome is that he looks forward to each session and seeing for herself what the tutor, the dog and her son can do together. It’s amazing.