Therapy Dogs Are Helping Autistic Kids Walk Into Hospitals Without Fear
Clodagh has been autistic since she was diagnosed at age two, and for years, hospital appointments were a source of such intense anxiety that she lost hair around school settings, became housebound for six months, and could not be persuaded to attend the medical visits she needed. Her mother Karrine Doherty tried everything before a specialist recommended something different: a therapy dog. The dog is Mia, a four-and-a-half-year-old Labradoodle trained by Assistance Dogs Northern Ireland to work with autistic people across hospitals, care settings, and schools throughout the region. Mia visits the children's ward at Altnagelvin Hospital in County Londonderry, where her calm temperament and unconditional presence give children something a clinical environment cannot provide on its own. Since meeting Mia, Clodagh is excited about her hospital appointments. Karrine said she was blown away by the calmness Mia brought to her daughter, and described the animals as bringing unconditional love and asking for nothing in return. She has since been contacted by many other parents in similar situations asking how to access the service. Another child, Caoilfhionn, used to put up a fight before blood draws, so drained by the experience that her mother would take her to a restaurant afterward just to recover. Since meeting Mia, that is done with. When they leave the hospital now, Caoilfhionn is in full form.
Assistance Dogs Northern Ireland currently has 34 fully trained dogs working throughout the region, with six more in training, and tends to use Labradoodles for their hypoallergenic qualities. The dogs can be trained to assist with autism, mobility, blood sugar monitoring, and school engagement. Schools are increasingly bringing therapy dogs into classrooms too: Edenderry Primary School in County Armagh introduced a dog named Tally this term, with the school noting that therapy dogs can help increase confidence, encourage communication, and improve engagement with learning. ADNI CEO Geraldine McCaughey said the organization has noticed a growing demand for its services and has seen children who were school refusers bouncing out of bed to see the school pup. She is frustrated by the lack of core government funding, noting that the dogs cost money to train, insure, and maintain, and that the organization cannot currently provide them for free. She also believes the program saves the National Health Service significant money by reducing the time some children spend in hospital. Play specialist nurse Cathy Grady at Altnagelvin said seeing Mia work with children is very powerful: she calms them, gains their trust, and empowers them to do things they are very scared of. At the hospital, Mia earns that trust every visit.
