How dogs
are
helping children with autism in Scotland...
It all started when a parent who had been a teacher at school asked Blair
Cochrane if he could help her son interact with their Labrador Retriever.
His initial response was that this was way above his ability. However, after a
long think, he decided to give it a try. And that's how DATA (Dog Agility
Therapy Autism) was born.
My idea was to
create a programme
of therapy
using dogs and dog agility that, in addition to helping them socialise, would
help reduce the sensory chaos that individuals with ASD (Autistic Spectrum
Disorder) can experience. Using conditioned specific structured stages, I aim to
teach those with the disorder how to engage, interact and understand the social
rules of a successful partnership.
The
main challenge is in the first few sessions when we’re trying to get the dog to
complete the obstacles. We also aim to make it fun for the child so they enjoy
the sessions and want to come back.
 Initially,
due to Master K's level of Autism, it was decided that I would introduce him to
the equipment in picture form getting him used to the names of the various
pieces of equipment.
After working with him for a month, I
then took him to my field with his dog and put into practice what we had been
going over with the pictures. Master K and Ellie excelled and took to it. I
would hold onto the lead until he said over and Ellie would jump over a jump so
that he was learning through cause and effect. This was applied with the
different pieces of equipment until he knew what was required. K can now
negotiate a course on lead with me directing with left and right. Sadly his
dog died just before Christmas.
Another pupil I had was a five year old boy who also had a Lab. He came for a
year initially - sometimes he would not come into the field. However, once he
overcame that barrier, he learnt very quickly and his speech improved. His
speech and language therapist could not understand why his prepositions (over,
through) were improving until his mum told them he was doing Agility, he didn’t
understand when it was on paper.
 James
has trained his Jack Russell Max from a puppy, has entered his first fun show
and is going to be entering KC shows this summer.
The boy
with the
husky is about to start training his second dog, his Aunties Saluki X.
The boys have trained the dogs themselves and have grown in confidence even
trying each other's dogs.
I have found that two of the boys have formed a
friendship through Agility - which is something that can be very daunting for a
child with Autism. The child with the Jack Russell is looking at entering his
first show soon.
I now
have a Lab, a Jack Russell and a Husky that are all doing Agility.
While there does seem to be more boys than girls who suffer from Autism, I've
recently had a request from a parent of an autistic girl.
The
sessions, which typically cost £10-£15 for the hour, provide an opportunity for
parents and carers to watch their children as they train alongside their dog.
Sessions will be cut short, however, if the child or dog is feeling overwhelmed.
 Dogs
have the ability to open the door into the world of an individual with ASD. I
believe that they can help lower the stress levels of children who suffer from
autism. When the child smiles and interacts with their dog, it’s the most
rewarding part.
My goal
for
2016 is to see more children from all over Scotland involved, along with their
dogs. I hope to teach individuals meaningful language and communication skills
that will assist them to realise the social joy of communication between
themselves and the dog.
DATA,
currently a volunteer-led project, has been running for five years. The
programme lets children learn basic dog-training in a relaxing and
non-threatening atmosphere. It has proved so popular that a
Facebook page has
been set up
for
autistic children to have fun with their dogs by doing agility, and
allowing members to organise training sessions with the animals.
We are now looking to raise £5,000 of funding to expand and develop the therapy
service, with a digital fundraising campaign under way on
Crowdfunder
UK.
 About
the author...
Blair Cochran is an Additional Support Needs Assistant working in a
special school with autistic children. He combines his two passions of dog
agility training and caring for people with autism.
From
the start he was hooked on dog training. He started with a friend's dog but soon
got his dog and moved into agility. He caught the competitive bug and has since
competed with dogs of different sizes and levels across the length and breadth
of the country including Crufts.
Blair
enjoys teaches and has experience organising successful agility shows. He has
also been given the opportunity to judge and has passed his criteria to judge at
Championship level.
First published 03 February 2016
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