Just back Autism and a Service Dog...

[LauraVV]

I'd like to thank you for posting your experience--it is good to know that a dog can be in the cabin or hotel room as a matter of necessity-
Anyway, my youngest son has an extreme allergy to most animals--he instantly gets hives, his eyes and face swell shut, and he has trouble breathing But what are the chances that we'd ever be on a plane with a service dog . . . And what is the official policy for animals in an airplane--obviously it can be permitted for wants as well as needs--any airline officials out there?

My kids have service dogs. We travel on airplanes regularly. If your son is as allergic as you describe he's likely to have problems in school and in many public places. If you have severe issues you're likely to react to the dander on people's clothing. Do you have an IEP for him at school? Take the epi pen everywhere?

There are not requirements to accommodate a dog allergy unless it's enough to be a disability. Most allergies are not that severe. I have tons of allergies and they are not insignificant (I also use an epi pen) but I am not disabled by them. I'd be sure to let the airline and any hotel know in advance that there is a significant allergy issue.

 

[disneynewman]

Glad to hear things went well! How did your son's SD like Disney?

Yeah, airline check-in folks are the worst. You're lucky you had an easy situation with that lady (yes, that is an easy one, sad to say!). Remember that you can always ask for the CRO (Conflict Resolution Official or something like that) if you have a big problem.



I've done a cruise on a different cruiseline with my SD (but not with an ASD kid). Find out what potty box accommodations the line is going to give you and make a practice box at home for the dog. First thing on board, find the box's location and if it is too far from your room, get the ship to move it. If you need a fridge for your son's meds or the dog's food, request that then make sure it is in the room when they first open up the rooms to passengers.

And, of course, make sure you contact the officials of every country the boat is stopping at (even if you aren't getting off the ship there) to see what the requirements are for the dog (if you won't be getting off the ship there, make sure it is fine your dog is on the ship in their port - some can get picky about that). Do realize that some countries require six to seven months of preparation work (rabies titres, if the dog doesn't already have valid ones), so start the process very early! Dogs cannot enter Jamaica (they can stay on the ship, although Jamaica may say that the dog cannot step foot outside on the ship while the ship is docked there).

Also realize that not all countries have public access laws (Mexico [guide dogs only] and Bahamas to name two), so look up the laws in the countries you're going to before you go and be prepared to explain what SDs are, what tasks your son's SD does for him, etc. - whatever info. you want to disclose to try to convince them to let you in someplace. Be educational, not confrontational, and you should garner yourself access. Be certain that the SD is perfect so that those who come after you can get access, too.

Thanks so much for that info. I had posted on the DCL board but not too many posters there have traveled with a SD. I will start looking into all that.
Oh and Josie, DS's SD, was a real trooper about Disney but very glad to be home. We tried getting her on a few rides at first, IASW etc but ever that had her very nervous, so we would get my DS to the entrance to a ride, unteather them and then DS could ride with DH or my parents and I stayed with Josie. Having a room at OKW made a huge difference, she was very comfortable there. I am thinking a Disney Crusie will be much easier on her.

 

[disneynewman]

I don't want this to come across as stupid, but how does the SD help your ASD son? My cousin (RobinFabulous) has a 6 year old on the spectrum and I would be interested to know how/if one might help him?

Suzanne

Not stupid at all SD for ASD kids is fairly new. We used an organization in Oregon call Autism Service Dogs of America. The biggest reason for us was safety. My DS is teathered to the dog, basically a nylon strap that buckles around his waist and attaches to the dog's vest, which really prevents him from running off. Helping with socalization is another component but one that will take more time. We have only had the SD for 2 months but Josie is very aware now that DS is 'her person' and watches him very well. For instance he is un-teathered on the playground but if DS gets out of her sight she will whimper until she can see him again. He is very accepting of having her teathered to him and there is a handle on her vest that he gladly picks up to walk with but he really hasn't bonded with her yet but given his autism that is no surprise. Feel free to PM me if you have anymore specific ?s about SD for Autism

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I think we are looking at two things here, both with equal high priority.

A person needs a service animal to mitigate the effects of a disability. An airline must, by law, allow the passenger to bring the service animal on board the aircraft in the passenger compartment.

Another person on board that same aircraft has a severe allergy where there are flare-ups due to contact with certain animals, and that passenger needs protection from contact.

The key is keeping to two as separated as possible. Also, most people are not aware that the air in a commercial aircraft is not recirculated but there is a complete change of air in the cabin every three to four minutes. You are getting "bleed air" from off the engines for pressurization, and the outflow valves are what will maintain the effective altitude. So if the two passengers are separated it is very unlikely that air with the service animal's hair/dander will ever get to the person ten or 20 rows away with the allergy.

 

[MousekeMommy]

Thank you to the OP and others for information about sight dogs, and also about preventing allergic reactions. I really appreciate it when others share information, and we all become more educated.
As I said before, it never really occurred to me before that dogs would possibley be on a flight with us, or had laid on a bedspread in a hotel room right before us. This post has made me aware of situations that I need to take into account when traveling with my youngest son, so again, thank you all.
Someone asked about his EPI pen, and school/public situations? We do have a pen at preschool (he attends 3 half days each week), one in our home, one in our car, one in my purse, and one at my mother's farm. He has never had a reaction in school or in a public place (like a restaurant, a bus, etc.), but as I said before, he has had severe reactions--the first was when he was in a barn at the KY Horsepark (that's where we originally discovered his allergies at 18 months old), when he is in a home that has dogs (although the animals weren't currently there), and from clothing that had just been in a barn containing horses (and a few cats and dogs that like to sleep in the hay mound ). He also has seasonal allergies to pollens, molds, grasses, etc., but these reactions don't progress beyond hives. He is currently being treated by an allergist, and we have a "medical plan of action" (not an IEP--I think that might be more than what he needs?) in place at school--mostly for things pertaining to his heart condition, but the allergy information is there, as well. I have asked that he be excluded from participating if/when pets are brought into the building, like pets for show & tell, and I also went on the farm & zoo field trips to make sure he didn't get close to the animals (no "milking the goat" for him!)
Anyway, I'm sure that we will discover more "situations" that warrant our attention in the future . . . I'm sure that my house and other places my son will be have lots of allergens that we haven't yet discovered . . . Or hopefully he will start responding to the treatments and the allergies won't be an issue in the future . . . Thanks to those who gave us more information so that we can think about things ahead of time and deal with them appropriately. Please rest assured that I would NEVER be rude to a person with a service dog, or insinuate that they should change their flight--as I stated in my original post, I hoped that the airlines would be willing to fulfill MY request for a change of seats and/or flights if we discovered that my son was scheduled to sit next to an animal, or that a hotel could change MY room if there was a problem.
Again, thanks to all for the information!

 

[SAGE]

Hi,
My DS's received his SD when he was 14. His "sweetie" is not tethered to him. She was originally trained for wheel chair assistance/epilepsy.
The criteria for obtaining a SD for autism were verbal skills & enough cogitative ability to care for her.
She helps with anxiety and socialization. Goes to high school with him everyday.
The transformation in my DS is unbelievable! He walks her in the neighbourhood. He will speak to people on the street. At school, all the students just love her. This has certainly helped DS feel welcome in the school community.
She is the best thing to ever come into his life!!!

I don't want this to come across as stupid, but how does the SD help your ASD son? My cousin (RobinFabulous) has a 6 year old on the spectrum and I would be interested to know how/if one might help him?

Suzanne

 

[LauraVV]

Thank you to the OP and others for information about sight dogs,

Guide dogs are only one type of service animal. My kids both have service animals. My sons dog alerts/reacts when he zones out. His dog also helps him with mobility. My daughter's dog is trained to get me when her oxygen levels decrease or when her heart rate increases. He's a huge safety help.

I was on one flight where there were 4 service animals. When we went to Disney earlier this year we had 2 dogs in our room.

 

[cjborne2]

We are thinking our next trip will be the Disney Cruise in Oct of 2010. If anyone has gone on the cruise with an ASD child or a service dog, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

We are doing a land/sea package with a Seeing Eye Dog in a few weeks. We are being provided with a little pool in our cabin (we were upgraded to a veranda room at no charge so that can be kept outside). We needed to get import paperwork from the Bahamas, a health certification from the vet and have a copy of the rabies certificate for the ship to foward to the Bahamian authorities. If your trip involves the Cayman Islands, additional paperwork is necessary. After calling several people regarding the dog and the ship and getting many "I don't know, that's a good question" answers, I found a very knowledgable person at DCL who got me the answers I needed. It did not take me very long to get the paperwork from the Bahamas (about 3 weeks) but I have heard other stories that it can take months.

As this is my first post on these boards, I am assuming there is a way to either email me directly or send a private message. I can send you the contact info for the cruise line if you wish. I'd also be happy to share our experiences at the end of June.

 

[disneynewman]

Thanks! I am sending you a PM so you can give me the contact info and I can't wait to hear how your trip goes!
Best of Luck!

 

[shellybaxter]

There are not requirements to accommodate a dog allergy unless it's enough to be a disability. Most allergies are not that severe. I have tons of allergies and they are not insignificant (I also use an epi pen) but I am not disabled by them. I'd be sure to let the airline and any hotel know in advance that there is a significant allergy issue.

I think that's sad

Maybe its just because I'm sitting here in misery from grass allergies and wouldn't want to feel like this on vacation

 

[Ms_Butterfly]

I think that's sad

Maybe its just because I'm sitting here in misery from grass allergies and wouldn't want to feel like this on vacation

So you would rather that a disabled person not be able to go on vacation (or a business trip or eat out or shop for groceries or whatnot) at all, just so you can feel all rosey keen? (I'm asking, not being sarcastic.)

People who don't want a dog in public sometimes lie about having allergies or fears of dogs, as they think that will get the dog out of the public place (they either don't realize or don't care that doing so would mean the disabled person would not be able to be in that place). Those who are actually allergic can usually take medications and other remedies (i.e. sitting far away, not touching the animal, etc.) to lessen or get rid of a reaction. People with allergies who have a reaction can still use the public place, though. People with SDs cannot use the place without their SD. It is the same thing as taking away somebody's wheelchair or walker.

 

[shellybaxter]

So you would rather that a disabled person not be able to go on vacation (or a business trip or eat out or shop for groceries or whatnot) at all, just so you can feel all rosey keen? (I'm asking, not being sarcastic.)

People who don't want a dog in public sometimes lie about having allergies or fears of dogs, as they think that will get the dog out of the public place (they either don't realize or don't care that doing so would mean the disabled person would not be able to be in that place). Those who are actually allergic can usually take medications and other remedies (i.e. sitting far away, not touching the animal, etc.) to lessen or get rid of a reaction. People with allergies who have a reaction can still use the public place, though. People with SDs cannot use the place without their SD. It is the same thing as taking away somebody's wheelchair or walker.

I didn't say I didn't understand the reasoning or that I disagreed with the law, I just said it was sad. I want everyone to be comfortable, have what they need and enjoy their vacation. I very much want disabled people to be able to go on vacation, business trips, whatever (I probably wouldn't be reading this board if I didn't have some kind of disability myself) but I also want those with severe allergies to be "safe" in their enviroment too. I don't know the right answer I just think its sad that it has to be one (the needs of those with service dogs) over the other (the needs of those with allergies). Sorry if I upset you.

 

[disneynewman]

what I think is sad is that this thread about my successful trip with my ASD son and his SD has turned into a debate about the rights of someone with a physical/mental disability vs. someone with allergies.

 

[shellybaxter]

what I think is sad is that this thread about my successful trip with my ASD son and his SD has turned into a debate about the rights of someone with a physical/mental disability vs. someone with allergies.

I'm sorry - I didn't mean to upset you either. I'm glad your son had a great trip. That's wonderful. I was just so sincerely sad when I read the quote that I responded to. Maybe my post wasn't necessary but I was feeling so bad (still am, eyes watering, can't breath, nose tingling - yuck) that the sadness over took me.

 

[LauraVV]

I think that's sad

Maybe its just because I'm sitting here in misery from grass allergies and wouldn't want to feel like this on vacation

To me that isn't sad. Most of the time allergies are just a nuisance. When they rise to the point of a disability accommodations are required. For example, I have lots of allergies. These are things I have to deal with. I get anaphylaxis when exposed to a particular antibiotic. Exposure would cause me to have breathing difficulty and could cause death. That's a disability.

 

[SueM in MN]

what I think is sad is that this thread about my successful trip with my ASD son and his SD has turned into a debate about the rights of someone with a physical/mental disability vs. someone with allergies.

Agree.
It was nice to have a trip report, but once something is posted, it often takes on a life of its own. That's what happened here.

I think we can all agree that sometimes the needs of one person 'bump up' against someone else's needs. That doesn't mean that either need is more or less important - just how life works out sometimes and it means some allowances/further accomodations need to be made.

So, after this sidetrack, let's get back to the trip report and questions about that.

 

[SueM in MN]

I have a question that has to do with Service Dogs at WDW.
How did your dog do with all the walking?
What about all the walking on concrete?
I know sometimes when we go to the pool, the concrete is so hot on our feet. How did the dog do with walking on hot concrete?

 

[bookwormde]

Side discussions are part of what is great about these boards. I know I found out about a new program for spectrum kids that I will pass along to others in my community and someone else realized their child’s special needs might be impacted by situations they never thought of before. I guess I do not see a problem.

bookwormde

 

[kaffinito]

What a great thread! I did not know that you could have SD's for those on the Autistic Spectrum. I wonder if my youngest son's teacher knows about this - my son has a few kids in his class who would benefit from an SD.

I am so glad that you had a successful trip!

 

[cjborne2]

When DH got his dog last year, it was suggested that he use the booties for the pup if the temperature was over 90 degrees. We are also going on the cruise and fully intend to need the booties on the sand as well. Someone posted a product called "mushers wax" that we're going to look into getting.

As for the walking, we suspect that the dog will be fine, but also realize that we won't be able to push him for 3 18 hour days in a row. We're anticipating a break during the day. Since there are rides the dog can not go on there will also be rest periods then as well. We'll probably bring the "neat sheet" with us for him to lay on too so he doesn't have to sit or lay on the ground, especially if it's hot.