At AADSA, we want to clarify that we do not directly train or provide assistance dogs, as this is the responsibility of our member organizations. If you are interested in obtaining an assistance dog or want to learn more about the process, we strongly encourage you to reach out directly to one of our accredited members. They are the ones who specialize in training and providing autism assistance dogs.
Among our members, there are organizations that focus specifically on autism assistance dogs, with some specializing in younger children, while others have no age restrictions. For example, Autism Dogs and Dogs for Autism both provide assistance dogs without any age limits, while for Good and Support Dogs primarily focus on providing dogs for younger children. For more information about these organizations and the services they offer, you can visit our “Find an Assistance Dog Charity” page, where you will find links and contact details for each of them. In some cases, these organizations also train dogs to assist with other conditions in addition to autism, offering a broader range of support.
Currently, AADSA has one smaller member organization, Smart Service Dog, that helps individuals train their own pet dogs as autism assistance dogs. However, it’s important to note that their capacity is very limited, and they only have a small number of spaces available for people seeking this type of support. In addition, Dogs offers a valuable Family Dog Service that provides expert advice and support to families with autistic children. This service is designed to help families get the most out of their relationship with their pet dog, offering guidance and strategies that strengthen the bond between children and their pets. If you’re interested in this service, you can find more details about the Family Dog Service.
AADSA is also collaborating with a range of organizations that are working towards achieving the same high standards of accreditation that our members have earned. Several of these organizations also provide autism assistance dogs and are dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with autism through the support of specially trained dogs.
For more information on the organizations that are currently working with AADSA and have gone through our rigorous accreditation process, we invite you to visit our candidate page. This page provides an overview of the organizations that meet our standards and are actively involved in training autism assistance dogs.
While there may be other organizations out there that provide similar services, we can only recommend those that are part of our membership. Our accreditation process ensures that our members are fully qualified and meet the high standards required to provide effective, safe, and professional services. Unfortunately, we cannot make recommendations for organizations outside of our membership as we cannot vouch for their services or the quality of the assistance they provide.
We hope this helps clarify the process and provides you with the information needed to find the right support. Please feel free to reach out to us for any further questions or guidance as you move forward.
Written & Sourced By Iron Edge Design