Title: Special Animals for Special Children: What Parents Need to Know about Assistance Animals
Word Count: about 1850 words
Abstract:
Assistance animals can offer children with special needs improved control over their environment, increased independence, better community integration, greater social acceptance, heightened psychological well-being and increased self esteem. Learn what tasks assistance animals can be trained to perform, how to determine whether an assistance animal may be right for your special needs child, where to find trainers, how the application, screening, matching and training processes work and what to expect once the animal comes home.
Excerpt:
“Mom, can I get a puppy?” may be the most commonly asked question of childhood. For a child with special needs, the question, and possible answers, can be life-changing.
Animals that are “individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability” can legally be designated assistance animals. The key is that the animal must be trained to perform tasks that are specifically related to the person’s disability. Companion animals and pets don’t qualify.
The three categories of assistance animals are: guide animals for blind or visually impaired persons, hearing animals for deaf or hard of hearing persons, and service animals for people with other physical or mental disabilities.
The International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) (http://www.iaadp.org) has identified over 100 tasks that assistance dogs can be trained to perform . . .
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