Laurie had her first session with adorable 4 year-old Alex, who has autism, and his gentle SDIT, “Will”. Alex lives with such a loving family. They have been through so much financially but they keep the faith and Alex’s mom, Brandie, makes sure that Alex gets the best OT and PT and other therapies he needs to try and develop his full potential.

The family has had Will for a while now – rescued from a shelter – and Will is very accustomed to Alex’s behaviors. Alex’s mother, Brandie, said that Alex’s meltdowns can be very severe, but Will is used to them and tries to nudge or lick him when this is happening. When I arrived, I found a very well-trained dog in Will, who could “sit”, “down”, “sit/stay”, “down/stay”, “come”, and “heel” extremely well. Alex had just woken up from a nap when I arrived, and he was such a sweet, shy child! Since this was the first time we met, I wanted it to be a positive experience, so I played hide and seek under the kitchen table with Alex, calling Will over and giving Will treats when he continued to stay. I eventually got Alex done with playing hide and seek, and said, “Let’s play hide and seek with Will!” So Alex came over, and I put Will in a sit, and I coaxed Alex to pet Will, play with his ears, say his name, and say “I love you Will”. Then Will would go to his favorite hiding place near the couch, so I brought Alex by the hand, all the while saying silly things to him about Will, and when he saw Will, I called Will and he came out. So it was like playing hide and seek with the dog! Each time I lured Will out, I clapped my hands and had Alex pet Will and say things like “Good dog, Will” and “Your my best friend, Will”. Will seemed to love the attention, and Alex was definitely engaging in interaction.