Autism Masking

Let's talk about masking, in particular Autism masking.

But first, everyone masks at one point in time. You may only show your work side of your personality in the workplace - a form of masking. You may hide your true feelings about something so as not to upset others - again masking. You may be emotionally and mentally exhausted but don't tell people around you because you don't want to worry them - again similar to masking.

You weren't taught how to do these things, it just happens. How exhausted at the end of the day do you feel?

Now imagine masking every inch of your being, every single day. 

Autistic individuals, at times, realise that to fit in with their peers, they have to mask their own traits. They may realise that if I have an emotional overload then my peers will judge me, I may get into trouble.

Masking is detrimental to an Autistic individuals emotional, mental and physical well-being.

You may see one behaviour, extremely well behaved compliant individual in one setting, and the complete opposite in another.

Please, please understand masking. Don't dismiss the individual, or their family. Take the information on board and ask, how can we assist.

Autistic individuals are expected to fit into a world, a system, that isn't designed for them. Rather than expecting them to fit in, make accommodations.

Provide an Autistic individual with the support so that they feel comfortable to unmask.

Decompression

 

This is what decompression after school looks like ....

This is a child who has no more energy that he burst into tears as soon as the car door closed.

A child who through his tears, sobbed "I need Henry cuddle. School hard 'day."

A child who, is now ordinarily verbal, reverts to using single word replies and shortened sentences.

A child who has pushed his anxiety so far down all day so that no one could tell, and can no longer keep it hidden.

A child who now feels safe, because he is surrounded by unconditional love and support, to show how he is truly feeling.

Autism masking is very real and so very damaging and draining - mentally, physically and emotionally.

Putting on a mask so that you blend in with the crowd, so that your differences aren't noticed by others. Putting on a mask so that you're not labelled as a naughty child. Putting on a mask day after day, makes you question your every being, makes you question your Autistic self.

Today was a hard day ❤️

Henry is working his magic ❤️

#teamhenry #smartpups #smartpuphenry #littlesuperheroes #autismheroes #assistancedogsaustralia #autismassistancedogs

Happy birthday H litter!

*** Please note that we do not receive commissions of any kind for this post. ***

The week that Henry was placed in 2021, holds two reasons to celebrate - Henry placement day and Henry's birthday.

Henry and his siblings were Covid19 puppies, born in 2020 when Covid19 was taking hold of the world and causing devastation and havoc. 

Henry is from the H litter - each of Smart Pups litters are named after a letter of the alphabet, or have a litter theme - there is a Paw Patrol litter!!

And yet, Henry and his siblings have made a huge positive impact on the children, and their families, that they have been placed with.

This past week, we just had to celebrate Henry's second birthday. The day started with presents for Henry, which he just loved investigating! His most favourite presents? The oversized tennis balls and the yummy treats.

Later in the day we went and collected the most awesome puppy birthday cake that a local business, In My Belly Pupcakes and Treats, made for Henry. And oh my gosh, the lovely ladies at In My Belly did an amazing job.

Henry's human boy was adamant that the cake looked so pawsome that he too was going to have a slice of cake. That is until Henry bit it open and the dehydrated fish heads and liver treats cascaded out!!

Henry is trained to ignore food that is on the ground and to not to eat food until he is given the command. It took a great deal of concentration on Henry's part, not to take a bite of his cake!!

Now usually our Henry hoovers his food, his main meals and any treats, down. But not with his cake. He definitely seemed to be savouring every single mouthful.

And check out these cuties - just a few of Henry's siblings!!

 

Happy birthday H litter! Thank you for being the most amazing assistance dogs that you are!

And if you're after some amazing pawsome tasty treats for your pups, head over to In My Belly Pupcakes and Treats. Every time we have purchased their treats, they have gone down, well, like a treat! They are a local business who use natural doggy friendly, human grade ingredients to make all of their dog treats. And all of their products are made from scratch and taste tested by their own furry companions. Henry definitely savoured his cake, but he usually inhales their other treats!!

☆ 365 ☆ Days ☆

 ☆ 365 ☆ Days ☆

18th of May 2021. A date that is significant for our family. It's been 365 days since Henry was introduced to L and our family.

☆ 365 days of Team Henry.

☆ 365 days of nuzzles, laps, overs, hide and seek aka tracking, furry companionship and much much more.

☆ 365 days where Henry has helped to reduce L's, and at times O's, daily anxiety.

☆ 365 days of making L's world feel a little more welcoming and easier to venture out into.

☆ 365 days of Henry's love.

☆ 365 days of life changing Henry magic.

To everyone at Smart Pups, from the trainers to the admin staff, and everyone behind the scenes, to your puppy foster carers, the sponsors of Smart Pups, everyone who has donated funds to Smart Pups. To those who supported us on our fund-raising journey by making donations or donating items for us to raffle, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you so very much. We are so very grateful for all of your assistance in helping L's Smart Pup journey become a reality.

Henry is been truly life changing for L, and for us as a family. 

#teamhenry #smartpups #smartpuphenry #labradorsofinstagram #autismheroes #autismassistancedogs

Team Henry: Independence!

This is what independence looks like ❤❤

We have before Henry and after Henry moments, and this at school drop off this morning is a huge after Henry moment.

Before Henry, school drop offs were incredibly difficult for L, especially transitioning from the car to his classroom.

After Henry, L is so much calmer with Henry by his side. This morning, L had his first beginner school band rehearsal. Over the past few weeks he has been a little hesitant and anxious about this, something new and out of his regular routine.

But this morning, L's confidence was shining bright and there wasn't a hint of anxiety at all ❤❤

#teamhenry #smartpups #smartpuphenry #autismassistancedogs #autismheroes #labradorsofinstagram

Team Henry: Some extra information!

*** Please note that we do not receive commissions of any kind from the organisations mentioned in this article. They are simply organisations that we have found useful. ***

Henry has been with us for coming on twelve months and what an amazing ride it has been. We're often asked the most amazing and inquisitive questions about Henry, his role, the training involved and how people can either obtain or train their own assistance dog.

As a result, I have created a number of documents with all the information that are usually asked and rather than carry multiple copies with me on a daily basis, I have decided to upload these to my blog for easy access.

So without any further ado, for your reading pleasure, below are the links to these documents! Please note that this information is based on our experience and knowledge but also on the legislation that covers Assistance Dogs here in Queensland. The legislation can differ from state to state, and country to country, so please ensure that if you live outside of Queensland, you approach an Assistance Dog training organisation in your state or territory, or country.

First up is an information handout on "What is an Assistance Dog." There continues to be confusion about the public access rights of an Assistance Dog, what constitutes an Assistance Dog and the difference between Assistance Dogs and Therapy/Companion/Emotional Support Dogs.

There are two pieces of legislation that cover the public access rights of an Assistance Dog here in Queensland. The first being the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Act 2009 (Queensland) which protects the public access rights of assistance dogs and their handlers that have been through a certification process. The second piece of legislation is  the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA, Commonwealth,) Under the DDA, an Assistance Dog can be trained by their owner/handler, so this is a link to some information in regards to owner/handler training and the documents that you will require to access public spaces.

We are in the process of owner/handler training a second Assistance Dog for O as we've realised the enormous benefits of having a task specific trained assistance dog. The majority of Assistance Dog training organisations require you to keep a training log for your puppy while it is in the assistance dog program. We began training Alaska (our new puppy) from the moment that we brought her home, so I created our own training log of evidence that we could present to any future organisation. It is a very basic training log, but serves its purpose.

We're also often asked about the contact details for different organisations that either place or will owner/handler train an Assistance Dog. And there are a number of different organisations, so rather than attempt to list the organisations off of the top of my head, I created a list! Some are registered through Guide Hearing Assistance Dogs, Queensland, others are not yet registered but are in the process of gaining their registration. I have concentrated on Assistance Dog organisations in general, as Guide and Hearing Assistance Dogs have their own specific training organisations that are easily located. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. 

• Smart Pups – https://www.smartpups.org.au/
• Canine Companions - https://canine.org/
• In the Paws of Angels – https://www.inthepawsofangels.com/
• Positive Response Dog Training - https://www.positiveresponse.com.au/
• Empower Assistance Dogs - https://empowerassistancedogs.org.au/
• Both Ends of the Leash – On Facebook
• Foundation Assistance Dogs – On Facebook and Instagram
• VernDogs - https://www.verndogs.com/
• Revolutionary Assistance Dogs Inc - https://www.raddogsinc.com.au/

Team Henry: Expectations versus Reality - Tracking

Our expectations

Once we knew that L’s Smart Pup was going to happen within the next twelve months, or thereabouts, we began to think forward about our expectations of having an Autism Assistance Service Dog placed with L.

One of L’s coping mechanisms when he needs to escape sensory overload from crowded or noisy or bright places, is to run. When L spots something that he wants to look at, he runs. When his emotions overcome him, he just runs. It doesn’t cross his mind that he should tell us when he wants to look at something or when he needs to escape from overload. This is a behaviour that we see in him on a regular basis. At present when L wanders, he will hide and not answer to his name. We were hoping that the Smart Pup would be trained to quickly find L.

The Reality

Henry is trained to track L when he runs away off. We practice this every few days either in the house or at our local park. Every time we practice this by playing hide and seek, Henry finds L within minutes, if not seconds.

Within the first four weeks of Henry being placed with us, Henry tracked L for real three times.

The first being inside the house when I couldn't find L. The doors were closed so I knew that he was in the house. Henry found him in our bedroom hiding within a matter of seconds of being given the command to find L.

The second was out the front door of our house. Both kids wanted to watch the lunar eclipse so I said let's go out the back. When O and I went out the back door, I didn't realise that L had decided to go out the front. When I came back inside to get L, Henry was on high alert facing the front door and the front door was open. He tracked L to out the front of our place.

The third was at a park close to the beach. We hadn’t been to the park before and all it took was for me to turn away for a few seconds and L ran off. As soon as I gave Henry the command, he took off in the direction of a pond which was between us and the beach. Henry found L on the other side of the pond playing on some exercise equipment.

Having Henry trained to track L is truly life saving. Henry has since tracked L a few more times for real and has always found him within minutes.

Henry is always on high alert whenever he spots L running, even if it is just during play, including at his therapy activities. We always have to reassure Henry in these instances that L is okay. Henry relaxes a little but he is still on alert.

Henry is even responded to O running – she was extremely excited about something that had happened at school and was running being happy, flappy. Henry looked at L walking beside me and then looked towards where O was running and then looked at me as if to ask “is O okay, do I need to find her.”

#teamhenry #smartpups #smartpuphenry #autismassistancedog