feckinfritos

That's not a service dog, that's a therapy dog. Service dogs are trained in a task to assist a disabled person. A therapy dog visits with people to make them feel better.

If you have a dog with a good temperament, and already knows the basics (sit, down, stay, come, walk nice on a leash) it usually costs very little to get them tested and certified as a therapy dog. TDI and Delta Society are two national orgs. There are also local orgs you can look into as well which offer more support and sponsor visits.

Tasks for Autism Service Dogs

I personally do not like the idea of pairing service dogs with children. I am a service dog handler. I have a PTSD service dog. He alerts me to panic attacks, will guide me to a safe destination when navigating crowds (which tend to be triggers for me), provides tactile stimulation when I am dissociating, and remind me to take medication when I feed him (he retrieves a bag with my meds when he sees me preparing his food.) Even though he has improved the quality of my life dramatically, it is a LOT of responsibility and a huge commitment to have a service dog. I am not afraid to admit that he has added a different level of difficulty to my life, however the benefits he provides me outweigh that difficulty dramatically. I don't know if the same could be said for a child.

IMO, many parents do not fully realize the commitment and responsibility they are adding to their lives by bringing in a dog, even if it is a highly trained dog. Many parents think that the dog will be like another caretaker. It's unrealistic and unfair to the dog. At the end of the day, the dog is still a dog. This article sums up my feelings perfectly: Very Young Children and Dogs