Autistic children have a hard time making friends. In Molly's case, her lack of speech doesn't help. We would be encouraging people to talk to her and pet her dog. |
Autistic children who go missing are almost always found dead in a ditch or at a lake. They get frightened of new things. Their instinct might be to hide in a small, dark place. |
Because of that, we thought search-and-rescue would be important training. I think it's only a matter of time before Molly will try to open the backyard gate. It could be a matter of months. |
If Molly sees a lake, her instinct is to run into it. She would just keep going if no one stopped her. That would be an important function of the dog. |
That combination is deadly. It means the child can jerk out of your hand without warning. |
The support we have received from my family has been wonderful. Going through my own struggle with Molly has made me closer with my own parents. |
They played games with the kids, taught the kids, build relationship between police officer and community very proactive approach, |
They train the dog to put its nose or a paw on the child. That would help her fit in more in public. |