Paws 4 Autism

Helping Families Help Their Kids to Connect to the World.4 Paws at a Time Our mission is to help the families of children with autism connect to the world through the use of an Autism Service Dog. Service dogs provide a physical and emotional anchor for children with autism. With their child tethered to a service dog, families feel they are newly freed to engage in activities as simple as shopping at the mall. On the streets, parents are relieved of the worry their child might run away. In many cases, the service dog accompanies the child to school, where its calming presence can minimize and often eliminate emotional outbursts, enabling the child to more fully participate. Transitioning among school day activities is eased and the service dog provides a focus through which the child can interact with other children. This helps increase the opportunity for the child to develop social and language skills. Not every child with autism will benefit from a service dog. Autism Service Dog Agencies and Trainers screen and evaluate each situation carefully. Their goal is to ensure a successful match for the child, the family and the dog. Our goal at Paws 4 Autism is to help fund the costs associated with acquiring and Autism Service Dog through our matching grant program.