For handlers with autism, FASD, Down syndrome, and comparable developmental disabilities. The handler is frequently a child, so this chapter formalizes the three-party team: dog, primary beneficiary (often a minor), and adult co-handler (parent/guardian) who holds legal handling responsibility. Certification names both people.
11.1 Certifiable tasks (at least 3 required)
| Task | Trigger | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Behaviour interruption | Event (repetitive/self-injurious behaviour pattern) or co-handler cue | Gentle, persistent nose-nudge/paw/lean that redirects the beneficiary; retreats and re-approaches rather than escalating |
| De-escalation DPT | Cue (either handler, as appropriate) | Deep pressure across lap/legs, duration as cued, calm entry and release |
| Anchored settle ("anchor") | Co-handler cue | Dog holds a down-stay while the beneficiary holds a handle/short lead attached to the dog's harness; the dog's stillness provides a reference point. See §11.2 safety stance ⚠ |
| Elopement response — locate | Co-handler cue ("find [name]") | Locates the beneficiary within a defined home/yard/building perimeter and indicates or returns-and-leads |
| Transition support | Cue | Trained walking position beside the beneficiary between activities/rooms; predictable routine anchor |
| Interrupt-and-redirect to co-handler | Event or cue | Leads/steers the beneficiary's attention back toward the co-handler |
| Nighttime settle | Routine | Settles in/beside the beneficiary's bed per family routine, aiding sleep onset |
11.2 Tethering safety stance ⚠
Explicit and non-negotiable:
- The dog is never a physical restraint for a child. Service Paws does not certify configurations where a bolting child's full momentum loads onto the dog, or where the child is attached such that the dog "holds" them by body weight.
- The anchor task is certified only as: dog in a cued down-stay, child holding a handle or connected by a short lead while the co-handler also holds the dog's primary lead. It is a behavioural anchor (stillness + a job for the child's hands), not a mechanical one.
- Unsupervised child–dog tethering is outside certification, and families are told so in writing at issuance.
11.3 Elopement response — scope
- Certified scope is locate within a defined familiar perimeter (home, yard, school building as trained). This is trained search-and-indicate, testable and reliable.
- Open-area tracking/trailing of a missing child is not certified in v1.0 — that is search-dog work with a different training and evidentiary bar. Families are explicitly told the certified scope; emergency services remain the answer for a true missing-child event.
11.4 Candidate suitability
- Exceptionally tolerant, low-arousal dogs; must pass Chapter 1 T7 (child-energy simulation) at a high standard, plus additional screening around the actual beneficiary: grabbing, falling against the dog, sudden vocalizations — the dog must disengage or tolerate, never correct.
- Moderate-to-large steady breeds are typical for anchor work, but any size may certify for non-anchor task sets.
- A dog showing avoidance of the beneficiary during screening is redirected — a dog that merely tolerates a child it fears is a welfare failure waiting to happen.
11.5 Team and handling requirements
- The co-handler completes the PAT as the handling adult, with the beneficiary present as part of the team.
- The beneficiary participates to their ability (holding the handle, giving practiced cues); the co-handler retains control throughout.
- Family training requirement: the co-handler demonstrates the daily-management routine (feeding, gear, rest space, recognizing the dog's stress signals) — scored as part of the task test day.
11.6 Task test
- Each certified task: 10 distributed trials ≥ 9/10 (event-triggered tasks tested on scripted simulations of the beneficiary's target behaviour, staged with the family's input).
- Anchor ⚠: 3 trials × 60-second holds with realistic distraction (child fidgeting/vocalizing), co-handler holding primary lead: 3/3, dog remains down and relaxed.
- Elopement locate: 3 hide trials in the defined perimeter (different hide spots): 3/3 locates with completed indication/return chain.
- Behaviour interruption: 5 scripted episodes ≥ 4/5 successful redirects; the dog must disengage on the co-handler's release cue every time.
- Welfare scoring throughout: any stress-signal cluster around the beneficiary invalidates the trial and pauses the test.
11.7 Maintenance
Weekly task refreshers built into family routine; co-handler re-checks the anchor configuration monthly; Service Paws recommends a welfare check-in call at 6 months for all child-beneficiary teams.
11.8 Records for this chapter
Task sheets; task-test scoresheet; simulation scripts used; co-handler routine checklist; video when overseen remotely. On pass, Service Paws records the task testing date.