Dogs That Help Children

Intelligence, temperament and a willingness to please make dogs capable helpers for children with special needs. Assistance dogs help children who are blind, deaf or physically disabled. Guide dogs and hearing dogs for the deaf have special skills to help their owners live a normal daily life. Therapy dogs can help children with behavioral problems, encouraging responsibility through appropriate interaction with an animal trained to remain clam under stressful circumstances.

  1. Assistance Dogs

    • An assistance dog helps a child who has a physical disability perform practical tasks. These highly trained dogs can open doors, pick up dropped items and even help with basic dressing and undressing skills involving socks, shoes and coats, according to Dogs for the Disabled. An assistance dog can also assist in a child's physiotherapy routine under the guidance of an experienced handler.

    Reading Dogs

    • The Reading Education Assistance Dogs program is a scheme designed to improve a child's reading skills by having the child read to a dog. Reading dogs and their handlers travel to schools, libraries and children's hospitals where the dogs lend an attentive ear to a child's storytelling. According to the Reading Education Assistance Dogs program, children show an improvement in confidence and heightened self-esteem after taking part in the program.

    Autism and Behavioral Problems

    • Children with autism and their families can be helped by dogs, according to a study by the MIRA Foundation in Canada. The organization recorded levels of stress hormone before, during and after the addition of a family pet, and found children with autism were calmer when a dog was present in the family home. According to the study, cortisol levels dropped and parents reported significantly less anxiety and fewer tantrums and behavioral problems in homes with a specially trained dog. MIRA states that caring for a dog provokes a sense of responsibility and can help calm children with erratic behavior.

    Therapy Dogs

    • A program in San Diego County allows children with multiple sclerosis to boost their confidence with therapy dogs in a controlled play session. The Paws'itive team members encourage children with physical disabilities to interact with the dogs to improve balance, mobility and motor skills through simple dog-training techniques and rewards.