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  SPECTRUM Service Dogs -

  First and foremost, we are more than dog trainers or service dog providers.  We are an Autism family.

  From the time our son, Noah, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, we have continued our concerted effort of learning about ASD, and how to best meet it head-on.  Most importantly, our focus has been how to equip our son as best possible with the skills necessary to address the hurdles ahead.

  We learned of "Non-Verbal" diagnosis due to speech delay; we learned of sensory/ stimulus issues; we learned of delayed muscular and coordination development and the associated issues that accompany.  We learned that a seemingly constant desire to wander away was not a result of disobedience or defiance, but an accompanying by-product of ASD defined as Elopement Disorder.  In all, we learned that those diagnosed with ASD - including our Noah - simply sees, interprets, and interacts with the world through an entirely different point of view.

  Having a history spanning almost thirty years in the field of professional K9 training, and having also experienced first-hand the benefits derived from training our first hearing assistance dog - the answer became clear; Noah needed a service dog.  Not just any dog, but a dog that suited him, his activity level, schedule, and could meet the requirements of mitigating his particular aspects of Autism.  This dog had to also be able to satisfy those requirements defined under the ADA/ Revised 2010 requirements for a service dog.
   
  Training and working this dog, we quickly saw a different focus in our son.  Disruptive behaviors were decreased, melt-downs transformed from a multi-hour event to one of minutes (literally), and elopement tendencies disappeared when out with his dog.  Not to be overlooked in the list of advancements has been the improvement in language skills as a result of being required to talk to/ direct his dog in order to foster their successful relationship.

  Aside from our own parental pleasure in Noah's personal growth, it was also noticed by friends and his therapists.  It was in short order the suggestions were made that we should explore the possibilities of providing this same opportunity to others diagnosed with ASD.  We began checking around, and found that suitable offerings of service dogs for the Autism community were not only few and far between, they were typically structured from a point of view of somewhat generic dog training, with the ASD client and their needs as a secondary consideration.  Compounding the hurdles, they were most often out of financial reach of many Autism families, and had extensive wait times.  We believed then that we could change that; we know now that we are, and are grateful that we have been presented such a tremendous opportunity to help others.

  From all of this, we have defined the Task-Trained Autism Service Dog (TTASD), developed a curriculum designed to be tailored to the client's specific needs, and wrapped it all up under training options that affords us the opportunity to provide highly trained TTASDs to the Autism community at a much more affordable pricing than has historically been available.  This is SPECTRUM Service Dogs, and we're proud to offer Task-Trained Autism Service Dogs to the larger Autism community.