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THERAPY/SERVICE/ASSISTANCE DOGS....
We have been raising a golden retriever supplied through the North Star Foundation, and I been collecting a range of local experience on raising dogs for children on the autism spectrum.  Slowly but steadily, parents are sharing information on their experiences with training dogs to assist their child.  It is all too easy to read how a dog can provide comfort and companionship to your child then find that the new pup gets edgy around tantrums and unpredictable behavior, turning the pet experience into a nightmare for all.  Is it a choice between an expensively trained therapy dog and good luck with a mixed breed at the ASPCA?  There is lots of good advice out there to find the right situation for your child.    If you are on Facebook, there are service dog groups.  See also http://modelmekids.ning.com/.

A heart warming video can been seen on:  http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/05/16/eveningnews/main1622372.shtml

Therapy Dogs:
The North Star Foundation www.northstardogs.org of Storrs, CT is one of several organizations that provide specially bred and trained retrievers (usually) as assistance animals to children with autism and other developmental disorders.  North Star is run by Patty Dobbs Gross, whose son has Asperger Syndrome. She has written a book, The Golden Bridge: A Guide to Assistance Dogs for Children Challenged By Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities and prepared a variety of heartwarming DVDs on the special bond that develops between children and their assistance dogs. The materials present an empathetic philosophy for raising a companion or service dog.  The actual training procedures differ for individual needs.

The cost of a dog trained as an assistance dog for an autistic child is not as great as for other service dogs, but it is not inexpensive--North Star is currently charging $10,000 to select and provide basic training and guidance to age 18 months.  This does not include the price of the specialized professional training for your childs specific needs, such as search and rescue, or specific tasks.  However, in this program, the dogs are typically introduced to a child as 9 month old pups so that they can mature with the child and bond with the parents--key because the work of these dogs is to interact with everyone!  

Don't count on a service dog placement saving you from the hard work of training a pup at the same time as raising a child with special needs.  We found the rewards to be great, but with some real trials along the way of puppy adolescence!

VISITING THERAPY DOGS
Cornell Companions is a program at the Veterinary College for bringing well mannered dogs to individuals and groups who cannot have pets but would benefit from interacting with a dog. http://www.vet.cornell.edu/services/companions/

Various individuals in the community also have dogs certified for this kind of program.  Traci Jones writes:
"Do you know of any families who perhaps can't have a dog or don't want the responsibility of a dog, but think their child(ren) would be interested in visits from Kali or Niki.  Both dogs have experience working with children with autism more than any other area... with the exception of Kali who also worked at CARS for a summer.  Both dogs have very different personalitiess, so it would depend on the child/youth which one I would bring on the visits."  Contact Traci at dogluvrtraci@juno.com for more information.
 

ABOUT: Autism Disorders
http://www.autism.about.com
"When you've met one person with autism, you've met ONE person with autism."  --Lisa Jo Rudy
This is one of my favorite ongoing websites, and you can sign up for listserve updates. Lisa Jo Rudy is a parent of an ASD child and has built a great discussion page with many terrific features to help you stay in touch, stay on top of the latest, and help build awareness of autism around you:
--"How little do you need to know about autism?"  for family, administrators, coaches of your child
--"Top Ten Myths about Autism"
--"Top Ten Facts about Autism"
--"Autism 101" mini courses.
--The latest research, trends, myths, and out-there treatments

Autism Speaks
http://www.autismspeaks.org
The hot new site of the moment is AutismSpeaks.org, an organization that has entered the big leagues of raising public awareness, lobbying, and raising funds for research.  This site has a terrific range of video clips from TV programs and documentaries on autism, covering such topics as early diagnosis, early signs, parenting, teenage and adult issues.  A very engaging entry into the topic, and one not without controversy as it claims to unify all autism groups.

Curing Autism
http://www.cureautismnow.org

The Statistics....
In my Opinion piece, I cited the statistic of 1:94 boys diagnosed--these were in New Jersey.  The CDC looked at only six states:  Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, West Virginia, and of them New Jersey may well be the closest match to Ithaca.  Studies show autism rates to be higher in academic communities. 

 http://www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/autism.cfm


 http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/actearly/

OASIS
http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/

The book and the website have long been a bible for families of those with Asperger Syndrome.  A rich and reassuring resource across a range of topics from diagnosis to daily life to camps and discussion.

Cool learning Sites:
Schwab Learning has terrific information on social skills, learning disabilities, publications, and other resources. 
http://www.SchwabLearning.org

WrightsLaw
http://www.wrightslaw.com

Educating a child with ASDs is an overwhelming maze.  "From Emotions to Advocacy" is the goal of this group, which guides parents and professionals though the laws ensuring a child's right to an appropriate education in the least restrictive envirnoment.  The web site puts legal jargon into understandable English so that you can figure out your child's rights.  It is worth visiting this site from the outset to learn to convert your emotional state after diagnosis to positive action.  It advises on how to keep your paperwork organized, to maintain a positive relationship with school district officials, to be firm about a child's needs, and to advocate effectively.  I attended their seminar when they came to Cortland--it is a well-rehearsed production, but one that effectively lays out a lot of great information in a short, clear session.

Online Support

Model Me Kids, which is a provider of great social skills books and DVDs, has a friendly social networking site for anyone in the ASD community :  modelmekids.ning.com

Chatrooms and Forums:
These come and go, so I apologize for any that are no longer up.

http://talkautism.googlepages.com/chatroom
http://www.autism.clarityconnect.com/autboard/
http://www.autismforum.net/
Kathryn Gleason
AutismIthaca.org 2007