Ceremony marks graduation of first batch of autism assistance dogs
The Shanghai Dramatic Arts Center hosted a unique graduation ceremony for China's first group of autistic support canines over the weekend.
Autism was first identified in China in 1981. According to data, the country today has approximately 10 million autistic patients, 3 million of whom are children. There is yet to be a substantial breakthrough in the medical and social domains associated with autism.
Autism assistance dogs, according to Assistance Dog International (ADI), can support autistic children aged 0–14.
In 2021, Erxing Shanghai Guide Dog School became the first in China to train autistic assistance dogs.
Guide dogs are more familiar in China than autism-aiding dogs. People find it hard to comprehend how dogs can help autistic youngsters. The idea is to help kids interact with the outside world by letting them play with dogs.
"Autistic children commonly experience social, language, communication, emotional, and behavioral issues," said Li Jian, Shanghai Purple Leaf Plum Children's Brain Development Center rehabilitation technical director. "These trained dogs can help kids build relationships."
A special strap holds the support dog to the autistic child. When children leave the protected area, the assistance dogs lie down to save them from getting lost. When they're concerned, the dogs may calm and support them. Dogs' companionship reduces children's stress and boosts their confidence when socializing.
Halei, Hali, and Yili, three adorable Labrador Retrievers, graduated from school and exhibited their assistance skills on stage after two years of hard training.
Lai Jie, the dog school's expert consultant, said that guide dogs help visually impaired individuals, while autism assistance dogs utilize their emotions to communicate with and calm autistic children.
"The dog cannot be aggressive, overactive, or shy," Lai said. Overactivity may injure autistic children or disrupt public order. Being shy prevents proactive emotional intervention."
The three dogs will be presented to a domestic foundation to locate families with autistic children. The dog school will provide guidance to families. If the dogs and kids get along, the dogs will be handed over to them.
According to project manager Ren Jing of the Chinese Relief & Development Foundation, they will reduce dog training costs and help turn stray dogs into support dogs in the future.
