This is Henry's Story.
Henry is a fun, lovely, and extremely intelligent "big" boy. He was officially diagnosed with Autism at three years old. Henry has an amazing personality all of it's own.
Having a diagnoses of Autism has come with it's ups and downs and we have been doing everything in our power to make sure that Henry is receiving the best care possible. However, we are currently in fear for Henry's safety.
Henry does not like to be touched unless he initiates it. This makes holding hands very difficult. When trying to hold his hand in a parking lot or in a crowded area, it often leads to massive meltdowns and Henry trying to get away anyway he can without regards to his safety. Henry will run directly into oncoming traffic because he is unaware of the danger of such an action. We have been able to keep him safe up until now, but he is getting stronger and faster. It scares me to know what can happen if we are a second too late in getting to him. We have tried tethering him to us using different devices, however, they seem to just cause more agitation.
This is where a service dog could save our son's life. An autism service dog can be trained to stop Henry from running off and potentially getting hurt. Additionally, we rarely go out in public, even to the doctor's office, without Henry having a meltdown due to his high levels of anxiety. A service dog could also aid Henry by offering him comfort during meltdowns such as these.
We truly believe that a service dog could be the answer we are looking for in terms of Henry's safety as well as his general well being. After much research, we have decided to go with Noelle's Dogs Four Hope. I invite you to check out their website to see how an Autism Service Dog could really impact a life of a child with Autism, my child with autism, Henry.
http://www.noellesdogsfourhope.com/autism-service-dogs
Thank you for taking the time to read this, it really does means a lot. If you have any questions or concerns regarding service dogs for Autism please contact Melissa at Noelle's Dogs Four Hope: (719) 367-4909