Tasks
Service dogs are different from any other dog because they have extensive obedience, public access, and task training. Tasks depend on the handler’s needs and mitigate their disability.
There are so many types of service dogs and even more types of tasks. Some common tasks include guiding tasks, mobility tasks, medical alert and response (such as diabetic or seizure alerts), psychiatric alerts, and so much more.
I wanted to share some of Cassie’s tasks and how they help me as an autistic individual.
First off, we have high heart rate alerts and alerts to overstimulation/meltdowns where Cassie is like “hey you need to calm down, let me do some Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT)”. DPT calms your autonomic nervous system (aka fight or flight response) by applying pressure at key points. These alerts generally occur before I’m in the middle of a meltdown so I am able to get Cassie to respond faster with DPT and my ability to function isn’t impaired for as long.
There are other grounding techniques besides DPT such as licking, tactile stimulation, and Light Pressure Therapy where she will rest her head on my foot or lap. These can be very helpful in preventing a medical episode from occurring in the first place.
The next group of tasks I use in crowded spaces. I feel overwhelmed by the public so by placing Cassie’s body between the public and me, I feel safer. This can look like her walking in circles around me (crowd control), standing in front of me (shield), or standing behind me (block).
The last couple of tasks I wanted to mention is Cassie’s interruptions, such as harmful stims, nail-biting, knee bouncing, repetitive behaviors, swaying, and more. This prevents me from hurting myself when I am not aware I am hurting myself.
Cassie is in the process of learning how to turn off the lights (reliably) so when I am experiencing a meltdown, she can take away visual stimuli, and she is learning to alert me when my name is called so when I’m zoned out or have my noise-canceling headphones on, she can alert me for my safety (and so others don’t have to touch me to get my attention).
Thanks for reading, come back for my weekly blogs (Wednesday at 10 am EST)!! :)
