[Connection Wednesday] What if a child with a developmental disability had a service dog? The story of my ASD son Arara and assistance dogs🐾

I am Hitomi Kuma, a mom in my late thirties.

I refer to my 4-year-old son, who has ASD, ADHD, and DCD traits, as 'Arara' the raccoon🦝

I have published an e-picture book on BOOTH📖

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🐻‍❄️.｡.:・ﾟ💫 .｡.:・ﾟ🦝.｡.:・ﾟ💫.｡.:・ﾟ

Because I connected on note, I was able to learn about this

When you connect on note, you encounter a 'self you didn't know' in unexpected places.

Learning that May 22nd is 'Assistance Dog Day' was one of those moments.

I am a mom in my late thirties raising my 4-year-old son 'Arara,' who has ASD and developmental disabilities.

I had always thought that service dogs and assistance dogs were 'nothing to do with me.'

The person who gave me the opportunity to learn was Natsuko from the Takers Office.

Natsuko's partner is a guide dog named Ojo. She is also active as an idol called Happy Ojo.

This cute black Lab is #GuideDogHappyOjo

If it weren't for this encounter, I am sure that I would have,

just passed by it forever.

 📅 May 22nd is 'Assistance Dog Day'

So that people living with guide dogs, service dogs, and hearing dogs
can live in society with more peace of mind,

it is a day to spread understanding.

First, I have summarized this in a slide.

▼ Click here

🦝 Children with ASD/developmental disabilities and service dogs—The case of Arara

My son Arara has an ASD diagnosis.

He also has traits of ADHD and DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder).

In new places,excitement and anxiety overlap, making his traits prone to exploding.

The other day, because the developmental support center moved, both the location and the building changed,

and there was a day when one child out of the group of five could not enter the new classroom.

Even though he had always been able to participate until now.

He was finally able to enter only during craft time, together with his parent.

At that moment, I suddenly thought.

🔍 Are service dogs/support dogs effective for children with developmental disabilities? I looked into it

1. Emotional Support Dog (ESD)

A dog that supports the "heart" of people with mental or developmental disabilities.

Their track record in the West is becoming known, and interest is growing in Japan as well.

However, since they are not legally recognized service dogs, they are treated the same as pets when accompanying you into public facilities.

In Japan, the system has not yet caught up.

2. Established abroad: The role of service dogs for children with autism/ASD

In overseas cases—

These roles have been reported.

In Japan, the current reality is that "they are not currently included as subjects for service dogs."

But it is certain that there are children with developmental disabilities and their families who need them.

3. Adoption of career-change dogs into families

In the Japan Service Dog Association's "With You Project",

efforts are underway to carefully match and adopt out dogs that have undergone service dog training to families with children who have disabilities.

They say they can even provide consultations for cases where a child with a developmental disability might hug the dog.

💭 The meaning of living with an assistance dog—it's not just about the "help," it's about emotional support

Living with a guide dog, service dog, or hearing dog,

I don't think it's just about "obvious help."

It's a great source of emotional support.

Even for us humans, whether or not we are happy while working is different for each individual.

I'm sure it's the same for each assistance dog.

At the end of the day, it changes significantly depending on the relationship with the other person.

If an assistance dog shows a happy face,

I believe that surely means, "I'm happy to be spending time with you."

🌿 Thank you, Natsuko-san

The world of service dogs and assistance dogs, which I had absolutely no connection to before.

But now, if the system in Japan were to change,

for Arara, who has ASD, and for our family,

I realized this is a story that could become "personal."I realized that.

The ones who opened that door for me

were Natsuko-san and Happy-ojou, whom I connected with on note.

It was a day where I felt once again that I'm glad I kept writing on note.

💬 What do you think?

Do you hope that partnerships between children with developmental disabilities/ASD and assistance dogs will spread in Japan as well?

Whether it's "I didn't know that" or
"I know a story like that too,"

please let me know in the comments🦝💬

#DevelopmentalDisability
#ASD
#Autism
#Therapy
#ServiceDog
#AssistanceDog
#DevelopmentalDifferences
#May22IsAssistanceDogDay
#Parenting
#ConnectionWednesday
#GladIUsedNote
#DevelopmentallyDifferentChildArara

🐻‍❄️.｡.:・ﾟ💫 .｡.:・ﾟ🦝.｡.:・ﾟ💫 .｡.:・ﾟ🎤

I made a question box▼

Feel free to ask Arara🦝 questions too🎤

A picture book where Arara, a child with developmental differences, learns to love himself
"The Gift from the Forest of Differences"

▶https://kumanohitomi.booth.pm/

＼Hey, listen to this／

by RumiRumi

by Maki-san

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