| Do you have a child with PDD or autism that is | | | | section that addresses this issue. The ADA definition is |
| receiving special education services? Are you | | | | that the dog must be individually trained to provide |
| considering, getting an autism service dog for your | | | | assistance to an individual with a disability. The ADA |
| child, and you wonder what the school's reaction will | | | | does not require the dog to be certified, to be |
| be? Have you been refused to have an autism | | | | considered a service dog. The service dog must be |
| service dog attend school with your child and wonder | | | | given total access to any public places where the |
| what the law says about it? This article will discuss the | | | | person with a disability goes under the ADA |
| requirements for school districts allowing autism | | | | requirements. |
| service dogs to enter public school buildings, with a | | | | The Department of Justice has taken a stand for the |
| child that they are working with. | | | | child and parent in these cases. Alejandro Miyar a |
| Autism Service Dogs help children with autism in | | | | spokesman for the US Department of Justice states |
| several ways: the dog can assist children safely | | | | that the ADA requires public schools to allow service |
| access different environments, the dog can be a | | | | dogs to accompany children they serve to class. He |
| calming influence, the dog can work on interrupting | | | | also stated that autism is considered a covered |
| repetitive behavior by nudging the child, the dog can | | | | disability under the ADA. |
| prevent the child from wandering away (by a tether), | | | | Another thing that school districts are doing to try and |
| and the dog can track the child when they have | | | | prevent autism service dogs is to state that this is an |
| wandered. Side effects of the dog is that children with | | | | Individual Educational Plan (IEP) issue, and must be |
| autism that have one tend to be calmer and also tend | | | | agreed to by the IEP team. I do not believe that this is |
| to interact in social situations better than children with | | | | the case, and parents should not fall into this trap. The |
| autism that do not have a dog. | | | | actual issue is that the ADA allows access to service |
| But schools across the country have taken the | | | | dogs in public places-so the issue is access for the |
| position that these dogs are not service dogs, and that | | | | dog. Another issue is, that the school district is |
| they are drawing the line to protect the health and | | | | discriminating against the child's disability, by refusing to |
| safety of all students. I actually believe that the reason | | | | allow the dog to attend class with the child with autism. |
| many school districts are refusing to allow the dogs is | | | | The newest tactic used by school districts is that the |
| due to precedent. If they allow one autism service dog | | | | dog cannot be in the class due to another child's |
| in then they must allow more. Parents have been suing | | | | allergies. I think that this argument will not hold up in |
| school districts over this issue from California to Illinois. | | | | court due to the fact that the child can be placed in |
| Recently 2 Illinois parents won court orders allowing | | | | another class, the child could take medication if |
| the dogs to accompany their children to school. | | | | bothered by the dog, and other ways to limit the child's |
| The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has a | | | | contact with the dog. |