Dogs accompany children with autism - and Labrador Finn

Tom* reaches for the book. He has one more story to read, then he's done with his homework. He reaches out again and again to stroke the Labrador lying patiently next to him. «Tom, we're going shopping,» calls his mum. She is already at the door and not only has the dog harness ready, but also a belt that Tom will wear. He is connected to Finn by a lead.

When Tom goes shopping or into town, he is accompanied by Finn. The Labrador is an anchor, lighthouse and stop sign for the 11-year-old at the same time. Tom is autistic and Finn is one of the eleven autism assistance dogs currently in use in Switzerland. Whenever Tom suddenly stops on his way, tries to run or jump away, Finn compensates for these movements, braces himself or simply stands still - and thus protects him from danger.

Tom was diagnosed with autism on his fifth birthday

Until he was one and a half years old, Tom Müller from Sarnen OW developed quite normally. He ran around, babbled his first words, laughed when his mother waved at him and his father threw him up in the air and caught him again. «Then he suddenly lost skills that he had already acquired,» his mother remembers. Tom became increasingly quiet, stopped communicating and responded less and less to speech. The process was very slow and gradual. The family only received the final diagnosis after his fifth birthday.

The family has to wait 18 months for their dog, which is being trained in Allschwil.

Natascha Müller* was not surprised that this was early childhood autism. The signs were too clear: her son was very isolated at nursery school and couldn't assert himself against other children. At home, everything had to be in its place, furniture could not be moved and the Christmas tree could not be decorated. «Otherwise he started shouting and could hardly be calmed down.»

Waiting period for a dog: 18 months

Every trip into town had to be carefully considered. If the family chose a different route to the one Tom had in mind, there would be tears. He couldn't cope when things didn't go according to plan. Going to school, speech therapy or psychomotor therapy on his own? Too dangerous. Tom is an impulsive child, can't judge dangers or put himself in other people's shoes. A full-time job for the mum. Natascha Müller continued her education, attending events and courses. And was thrilled when she found out about the autism assistance dog programme around two and a half years ago. The waiting time for a dog at the time was 18 months.

Peter Kaufmann opens the boxes and puts the three dogs on a lead. Since 2012, the Swiss School for Guide Dogs for the Blind Foundation in Allschwil BL has also been training guide dogs for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Instructor Peter Kaufmann learned about the programme during a trip to New Zealand and introduced it to his employer in Allschwil. So far, this programme is unique in Switzerland.

Since Finn has been with us, I don't have to keep my eyes on Tom every second.

Natascha Müller, Finn's mum

As with the training of guide dogs for the blind, the school favours the Labrador breed: the dogs generally have a good-natured character, are robust and bred for friendliness. Peter Kaufmann: «What's more, they can anchor a child with their 26 to 30 kilos.»

What is an autism assistance dog?

Lost in thought, Tom walks along the pavement. Suddenly he jumps off, wants to run. Suddenly. The traffic lights are red, cars and lorries are thundering across the junction. But before he can set foot on the road, he is held back by Finn.

The dog is a family dog that becomes a service dog as soon as it wears the harness

Peter Kaufmann, dog trainer

Riding the bus, shopping, going for a walk: «Since Finn has been with us, I don't have to keep my eyes on Tom every second,» says the mum, who can now spend time with Tom's sister Sarah*.

Tom loves his faithful four-legged friend

Natascha Müller is also connected to them via the harness. She leads the dog, to which the child focusses all his attention. Finn responds to the adult's commands, 25 in total. «When Finn stops him, Tom responds much better,» says his mum. He loves the dog and is calmer when he goes with him.

Finn accompanies Tom to his psychomotor skills lesson every Wednesday afternoon, to school on Thursday mornings and back again at lunchtime. He is not present during lessons. Six hours of lying still would be too much for the animal. «The dog is a family dog who becomes a service dog as soon as he wears the harness,» says Peter Kaufmann. A demanding task. That's why the animal should be able to rest and play during the rest of the day.

For Tom, Finn is automatically more. «What's the dog's name?» asks a boy.
«Finn,» says Tom. He knows the boy, he goes to the same speech therapy school as him. They have never spoken to each other. Things have changed since Finn joined. He is Tom's bridge to the world.

And Finn also gives him support at home. «Ponte» is the name of the command when the Labrador covers the legs of the boy sitting on the carpet like a heavy blanket. And brings the boy - who had just been beside himself with anger - back down to earth.

Back from the shops, Tom would like to play with Finn and look at another book. For the Müllers, one thing is clear: even if Tom will eventually be too old for an autism assistance dog: Finn will stay, he is already part of the family.

* Names changed by the editors