Our autism assistance programme is life-changing for both the autistic child and their family. Autism assistance dogs are trained to provide safety and to facilitate a more independent and socially inclusive life for both the autistic child and their family.

Support Dogs relies entirely on voluntary donations to provide this support. You can make a donation to our charity here to help us continue providing our life-changing support.

Our clients are autistic children who are often unable to communicate or express their feelings in a way that is understood by others. They have little sense of danger or of the consequences of their actions. 1 in 100 children in the UK are diagnosed with autism. Half of these children will have a tendency to bolt and wander off from their care givers, which can be very dangerous, and has often resulted in injuries to the child.

Autism assistance dogs are trained to provide safety and companionship, helping to bring independence and a more socially inclusive life to both the child and their family. They have been shown to:

• Reduce stress for family members
• Promote positive changes in behaviour
• Provide comfort for autistic children when upset
• Reduce behavioural outbursts

Autism is a condition that affects each individual differently. Our autism assistance programme works in a number of ways:

• Many of our clients have a very limited sense of danger or of the consequences of their actions. They often have a tendency to bolt and wander off from their care givers, putting themselves in danger and often resulting in injury.
• Our dogs are trained to keep a child safe using a wide range of methods, reducing the risk of injury or distress for the child and reducing stress and anxiety for the child’s family.

To read more about our autism assistance programme download our information pack using the button below. This provides information to enable you to assess whether you are eligible to apply.

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 Download information pack

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Please note: We normally place dogs with children aged between three and ten years, and within a catchment area of any distance that can be driven in two hours from our national training centre in Sheffield S9 2RX.

Sadly due to the impact of the Covid pandemic we are currently dealing with a huge backlog of applications and so currently can only accept new applications for children aged between three years old and eight years old. We of course aim to increase this as our resources and capacity allow.

Click here to apply to our autism assistance programme